In the world of microblogging, the thing to do right now is get on Bluesky. It’s a new-ish social media platform similar to X (Twitter). Some are trying to use both, and others are religiously dedicated to X. I don’t have interest in either, though.
Mastodon Is Good Enough for Me
The platform I’ve gotten used to and prefer isMastodon. I’ve been using it for almost two years now, after quitting Twitter. It’s unique among social media platforms because ofits “federated” system of networks. I won’t get into exactly what that means, but what’s important to me about it is that it keeps moneyed interests from taking over.Bluesky is funded by venture capitalistswho will expect a return on investment, and I don’t intend to make my wallet a part of that return.
A common criticism of Mastodon, though, is that there simply aren’t that many people on there. Detractors also observe that it’s hard tofind the people who arethere becauseMastodon lacks a proper algorithm. I understand the frustration there, but I kind of like the charm of that smallness. I see mostly the same people, people I like, in my feed and on my local servers, as well as the people they think are worth boosting. You may say I’m living in a bubble, and admittedly I probably am. Then again, who isn’t?
There is an “explore” page, though, if you really want to see what’s popular across federated servers. It tends to be fairly up-to-date with the latest news being discussed. However, this is another way I depart from the mainstream: I don’t really care to be the first to know about anything. At least, I don’t if it doesn’t directly affect me. Things of that nature tend to be physically near me, and I’m a part of enough local community chats that I don’t need to try to find that on Mastodon.
To be fair, I don’t post much—not under my name, at least. I mostly use social media to find memes and news and sometimes to hear from specific people I like. Maybe if I posted more instead of just lurking, I’d have stronger feelings that would draw me away from Mastodon. For now, those feelings haven’t arrived.
Anyway, I’m Tired of Making New Accounts
Another negative feeling that arises in me when I hear about people jumping on theBlueskytrain is fatigue. I’m just plain tired of making new accounts and learning new interfaces. A week probably doesn’t go by anymore that I’m not obligated to click another “Download Our App” link and “Register Now” button. I feel like I’m being email-authenticated to death. There’s a mental barrier to entry that maybe doesn’t exist for other people but it certainly does for me.
Don’t get me started on the countless privacy and security risks I have to take on with each of those accounts. God only knows where my personal data is going at this point; it seems more a question of whereisn’tmy data andwhohasn’tbreached it. I will happily accept a less vibrant microblogging platform for slightly moreonline safety.
Mastodon isn’t a perfect microblogging platform. It has more issues I didn’t mention, including its still limited safety and privacy features, and the barrier to entry that is choosing a server. Suffice it to say though in terms of what I’m looking for in terms of social media, Mastodon is enough for me right now.
