Hi Heather. I have a counterpoint. I think one of the reasons people found the blue bird so interesting was the ability to quickly (being time poor most of the time) get some info and then choose to read the full article from the link. And then to respond and get feedback. Now, admittedly, that didn’t always result in positive interactions, but for those of us who got to speak with people like yourself, Maggie, Kris and others directly, I think it opened up a world we wouldn’t have otherwise got to experience.
Additionally, I find it a valuable resource for information in times of crisis. Fires, floods, earthquakes, traffic, even the one shooting we had here I got up-to-the-minute info from fire departments, police, local government and civil defence (FEMA equivalent).
Personally I would miss these quick interactions if they were to go. Also, I haven’t had many negative experiences yet and those I’ve had were mild. So I guess my experience has been more positive.
I do agree with you about the algorithms and feeds. I spend a lot of time in settings trying to counteract them. I will be fascinated to see what happens next. I think some form of social media is here to stay.
I very much appreciate the counterpoints you make here, and agree with you. I can think of many "good" things about social media that I hope don't disappear. The main one being connection, including being able to get out quick messages in times of disasters, grief, or need and for conversation.
What's so frustrating for people who create content and hope to build a community of people around that content is the difficulty to truly bring that community together. There is nothing more frustrating than working hard on social media posts only to have those posts never be seen. (I'm looking at you, Facebook and Twitter!)
Another example: I use Instagram almost 100% for personal reasons. I post (for me) to capture my travels or when I want to capture something fun. So it doesn't bother me if people don't see my Instagram, but I'm excited when they do. But for content creators who use Instagram for building a brand and to "influence" for money, the change of the algorithm over to showing mostly reels was a game changer for them. The beautiful static photos they worked so hard on for their followers were no longer getting the reach they once did, and the products they tagged in those photos no longer helpful since no one was seeing them.
For me, I write. And when I write on the internet (whether it be Facebook, Twitter, or elsewhere), it's mostly because I hope to have a conversation around whatever I write about or I write to reach people who might be waiting for my next book. And when those posts aren't seen, or they don't spark conversation, I can think two things: No one wanted to talk about what I wrote OR they just didn't see it. Either way, the time feels wasted and better spent elsewhere. For that reason, I'm working on how to use Substack or my monthly newsletter more efficiently. I'd like to start posting in various lengths on Substack, some days keeping it to shorter conversation starters, and other days writing longer articles as ways to explore how I'm feeling about a subject. We'll see... :)
Sorry for the long explanation, but you made such good points. And I hope you're right — I hope social media will stay in some form. But I hope it's in a form that is better for those of us who wish to be social. Either way, I am thankful you stopped by and joined the conversation. It's good for us all to know how we feel about social media. I think a lot of people are currently having these conversations to figure out what they want from social media in the future.
I agree the algorithms are awful for content creators. I can see how disheartening it would be. I would like to see it become easier for readers to circumnavigate them. Of course that is unlikely to happen.
I've also just realised one thing Twitter does/did that I haven't seen mastodon/post/substack/etc do yet... it provided a hub for the spokes that are all those other apps and tools. In just the last few minutes, while reading my notifications, I noticed links to podcasts, youTube, 7+ different news organisations on 3 continents, substack, post, mastodon, 2 different websites of people and Instagram. That is a heck of a "web" all of which come from a single source. There is nothing out there right now, that I am aware of, that I could have quickly scanned and gleaned the same level of information on. By the way, the subjects included in those notifications were also wide ranging, from traffic updates from my town here in NZ to cat videos to LGBTQIA+ content to US politics to UK events to a tv show promo to a dog training event promo. If Twitter goes, what will have that kind of diversity?
Also I really appreciate that you gave such a well thought out and full reply. It shows you are open to difficult conversations and alternate points of view. I value that in a person. I believe the helps everyone who partakes grow and evolve. And that's what life is about I feel. So, thank you for that.
If I had to pick which social media I have loved the most, historically speaking, it would be Twitter by far! Back 8 or 9 years ago, it was my place of choice to have conversations with people all over the world, especially other writers and readers. And like you pointed out, creators could share links from places all over the internet. It was lovely. And people didn't really fight about stuff. And Twitter is still where I go to follow a particular hashtag to see who is saying what about a particular subject. But I hardly ever participate b/c I just don't have the desire or time to risk getting sucked in by trolls whose only purpose is to stir shit up. Ya know?
I promise, if/when Twitter is run into the ground, I will be here to mourn its loss with you. My article's purpose was never to say I hope it happens. It was just to say that at this point, I don't know that we wouldn't be better off.
In a lot of ways, maybe I just think we need a change. A back to basics kind of change.
I have enjoyed this conversation, Erica. It's made me nostalgic for the early days of social media. :)
Hi Heather. I have a counterpoint. I think one of the reasons people found the blue bird so interesting was the ability to quickly (being time poor most of the time) get some info and then choose to read the full article from the link. And then to respond and get feedback. Now, admittedly, that didn’t always result in positive interactions, but for those of us who got to speak with people like yourself, Maggie, Kris and others directly, I think it opened up a world we wouldn’t have otherwise got to experience.
Additionally, I find it a valuable resource for information in times of crisis. Fires, floods, earthquakes, traffic, even the one shooting we had here I got up-to-the-minute info from fire departments, police, local government and civil defence (FEMA equivalent).
Personally I would miss these quick interactions if they were to go. Also, I haven’t had many negative experiences yet and those I’ve had were mild. So I guess my experience has been more positive.
I do agree with you about the algorithms and feeds. I spend a lot of time in settings trying to counteract them. I will be fascinated to see what happens next. I think some form of social media is here to stay.
I very much appreciate the counterpoints you make here, and agree with you. I can think of many "good" things about social media that I hope don't disappear. The main one being connection, including being able to get out quick messages in times of disasters, grief, or need and for conversation.
What's so frustrating for people who create content and hope to build a community of people around that content is the difficulty to truly bring that community together. There is nothing more frustrating than working hard on social media posts only to have those posts never be seen. (I'm looking at you, Facebook and Twitter!)
Another example: I use Instagram almost 100% for personal reasons. I post (for me) to capture my travels or when I want to capture something fun. So it doesn't bother me if people don't see my Instagram, but I'm excited when they do. But for content creators who use Instagram for building a brand and to "influence" for money, the change of the algorithm over to showing mostly reels was a game changer for them. The beautiful static photos they worked so hard on for their followers were no longer getting the reach they once did, and the products they tagged in those photos no longer helpful since no one was seeing them.
For me, I write. And when I write on the internet (whether it be Facebook, Twitter, or elsewhere), it's mostly because I hope to have a conversation around whatever I write about or I write to reach people who might be waiting for my next book. And when those posts aren't seen, or they don't spark conversation, I can think two things: No one wanted to talk about what I wrote OR they just didn't see it. Either way, the time feels wasted and better spent elsewhere. For that reason, I'm working on how to use Substack or my monthly newsletter more efficiently. I'd like to start posting in various lengths on Substack, some days keeping it to shorter conversation starters, and other days writing longer articles as ways to explore how I'm feeling about a subject. We'll see... :)
Sorry for the long explanation, but you made such good points. And I hope you're right — I hope social media will stay in some form. But I hope it's in a form that is better for those of us who wish to be social. Either way, I am thankful you stopped by and joined the conversation. It's good for us all to know how we feel about social media. I think a lot of people are currently having these conversations to figure out what they want from social media in the future.
I agree the algorithms are awful for content creators. I can see how disheartening it would be. I would like to see it become easier for readers to circumnavigate them. Of course that is unlikely to happen.
I've also just realised one thing Twitter does/did that I haven't seen mastodon/post/substack/etc do yet... it provided a hub for the spokes that are all those other apps and tools. In just the last few minutes, while reading my notifications, I noticed links to podcasts, youTube, 7+ different news organisations on 3 continents, substack, post, mastodon, 2 different websites of people and Instagram. That is a heck of a "web" all of which come from a single source. There is nothing out there right now, that I am aware of, that I could have quickly scanned and gleaned the same level of information on. By the way, the subjects included in those notifications were also wide ranging, from traffic updates from my town here in NZ to cat videos to LGBTQIA+ content to US politics to UK events to a tv show promo to a dog training event promo. If Twitter goes, what will have that kind of diversity?
Also I really appreciate that you gave such a well thought out and full reply. It shows you are open to difficult conversations and alternate points of view. I value that in a person. I believe the helps everyone who partakes grow and evolve. And that's what life is about I feel. So, thank you for that.
If I had to pick which social media I have loved the most, historically speaking, it would be Twitter by far! Back 8 or 9 years ago, it was my place of choice to have conversations with people all over the world, especially other writers and readers. And like you pointed out, creators could share links from places all over the internet. It was lovely. And people didn't really fight about stuff. And Twitter is still where I go to follow a particular hashtag to see who is saying what about a particular subject. But I hardly ever participate b/c I just don't have the desire or time to risk getting sucked in by trolls whose only purpose is to stir shit up. Ya know?
I promise, if/when Twitter is run into the ground, I will be here to mourn its loss with you. My article's purpose was never to say I hope it happens. It was just to say that at this point, I don't know that we wouldn't be better off.
In a lot of ways, maybe I just think we need a change. A back to basics kind of change.
I have enjoyed this conversation, Erica. It's made me nostalgic for the early days of social media. :)
I really enjoyed it too!! You've made my day - have a wonderful week!