Slowly slinking away from social media

I've had enough of social media. When MySpace launched I enjoyed customising the CSS, adding some music, and 'frieding' people from all over the world. People who rarely left a message, and when they did it was friendly and complimentary.

Twitter started as a way to update others on the status of work and other projects and I used it like that. Then the asinine posts, celebrity folderol, and political hot-air opened the doors to misinformation and bigotry. Finally Musk started nailing the lid of its coffin. Mastodon and Bluesky have tried but the toxicity is spreading there too.

When Facebook launched for those outside the colleges and universities of the world I jumped on board. The "Lewis is..." post prompt, ability to add photos, and see a feed of others' status updates was a novel experience. The invevitable slide in to misinformation, bigotry, and low-brow trash foreshadowed by Twitter has made it a place I no longer want to spend time.

When I finally got a phone capable of Instagram, around 2012, I jumped in with both feet. The novelty of the filters soon got old but I remained committed to uploading photos. It was free of the drama, the vitriol, the noise, and the spam of other platforms, focused only on photography. Then reels came along, and the rise of the influencer. More and more of the photographers whose work I enjoyed drifted away, replaced with sponsored trash and self-appointed experts trying to tell me how I should live my life, and offering to sell me coaching or courses. The final straw has been the emergence of radical feminists, pedalling misandry under the guise of teaching men how to be better.

I've recently started to replace the doom-scrolling, and mindless browsing of social media with digital subscriptions to things like The New Yorker. When I'm tempted to reach for my phone to kill some time I read an article or two. But I still want my own outlet for things I want to share.

Inrupt's Solid is a great idea and seeks a move back to the idea of a personal piece of online realestate, with the likes of social media platforms subscribing to published feeds of updates, photographs, and other content. But it's early days and clearly not ready for production use.

The one haven that I've long enjoyed spending time with, but got out of the habit of posting on is Tumblr. I've come to realise that it's the best of lot. I can post pictures, videos, quotes, small thoughts. I can repost other user's posts and automatically give credit. But I'm spared the argumentative, offensive comments and misinformation that has ruined everything else.

With this in mind, I'm pulling back. Not leaving completely, as Facebook and Instagram have become the only way I stay in touch with distant friends and relatives. I'm aiming to no longer post on other platforms and will focus on Tumblr. This site will remain as a home for long-form ramblings and technical tutorials, while my Tumblog will be the place to find all the culture I want to share. It feels like a weight has been lifted.