It's an acquired taste, that's for sure.
...uh oh, my fingers are moving and I think I'm about to pull a Tsugumo on the topic of social networks.
I can't stand Facebook, so I don't use it, with the sole exception of Facebook Marketplace because Kijiji (Canadian Craigslist) is dead. I'm also glad Meta isolated their VR stuff from FB, even though I'm not particularly sure it makes a big deal.
I wanted to like Discord (especially since I know the CEO), but I can't. I ended up deleting my accounts there just to remove temptation. It's the same reason I stopped using IRC. From a tech standpoint Matrix is really nice, but I'm sure most people will see it as a clumsier Discord. I do use a Slack with some local friends (board gaming group), as well as one with one of my clients. Otherwise I avoid chatrooms now. I'm legit too ADHD for it.
My IM of choice these days is Signal. Thanks to a Facebook Messenger glitch I convinced my wife to install it, and I'm so glad I'm down to one app.
(Oh right, I may have forgotten to mention I got married over the summer)
I have little-to-no interest in other social medias (TikTok, Instagram, Linked-In). Reddit I'll occasionally dip into, but I almost never say anything.
I never really thought of YouTube as a social network, but they crossed a line for me recently with the addition of Shorts. IMO social media recommendation algorithms and "doom scrolling" are unhealthy, even dangerous. They are like crack for the ADHD brain, blasting your eye-holes with hit-or-miss content at such a pace you can't help but feel addicted. I used to blame just Shorts for this, but even ignoring them I find YouTube's recommendations to be too good sometimes. Ahem, after recently binging years of ProjectFarm videos, I disabled the YouTube app on my phone. I still watch or listen to the occasional video, but for my sanity there's way more friction now.
Finally Twitter yes I feel somewhat committed to, even though I've grown to hate it. Mastodon for me has captured much of the vibe that Twitter once had. And because it has finer-grained controls of what you see, not to mention no ads and no algorithm, and the trashier human beings that like to tell you you suck don't get it and wont even consider it, I find it just so much more pleasant.
Finally forums. I used to think that I was old and "oldskool forums" were somehow better than modern social media. I still use a couple (this and one with some biz friends), but in hindsight I think I like it for the same reason I like my Slack channel with my local friends: you're not constantly rewinding and repeating yourself.
The unwritten rule of public chat channels is that as folks come and go, you need to repeat yourself. You need to introduce yourself to both join a community, and as others do it. If someone returns or hasn't chatted with you in a long time, you need to catch them up. A private or invite channel (or small community), you already know everyone, and you can just pick up where you left off with minimal effort.
I'm patient, but I like to be constantly moving forward. Also my role with role with Ludum Dare requires me to rewind, restate, repeat myself, in order to maximize understanding for all those reading my words for the first time.
Huh.
I guess to extrapolate why I tolerate/like Twitter and Mastodon, I'm not necessarily repeating myself. I'm always broadcasting.
PS: I love writing because I find it really helps me organize my thoughts. I hadn't come to the conclusion about rewinding until I was writing this post. So yes, while I may be "repeating" myself having drafted this, I'm thrilled to have a conclusion I can get behind. That's incredibly valuable to me. One more dopamine hit from understanding.
PPS: The point of this message was that I wanted to talk about IndieWeb: https://indieweb.org/ . In a nutshell it's movement to "return to the old ways" where everyone owned their existenc. Running personal websites, blogs, etc. In some ways it's a modern evolved take on webrings, that silly way we used to discover similar websites.
Mastodon fits into this picture too, though I do realize many people aren't interested in being operators. Many folks aren't paranoid about their privacy either, not until it's too late.
Never was into Facebook, Instagram or anything like that. I feel like these days, unless you are super-pro-amazing at professional networking (I am not), depending on your industry, you probably can benefit from a LinkedIn account unless you are lucky enough to have a job you don't hate and can stay at for many years (If this is you, just know that I envy you greatly). I hate LinkedIn. With a passion. So gross.
