General

Social Media Was a Mistake

After 21 years, it’s clear that social media was a mistake. The original draw of keeping up with your friends and sharing interests is no longer the focus. While still possible in 2024, it comes with advertising, sponsored-content, and bots. There are millions of people that only take part to tear others down. Not to mention, social media is now a tool to spread disinformation.

I gave up on Facebook in 2016. I’ve given up on Twitter in 2024. If I had my way, I would avoid Meta altogether. Yet, I’m still hanging on to Instagram. I am optimistic about Bluesky, but we’ve read this story before.

I want to keep up with a small group of people and that’s it. There is no business model for social media that allows that. There should be no need to mute, block, or fight an algorithm. I don’t want personalized ads catered to my interests. The only alternative is to opt out.