But, like everyone else, I embraced the infinite scroll, reading the "feed".
But recently I made a conscious decisions to step back. I ditched Twitter years ago, and with FaceBook's latest terms, I ditched (and deleted) them too.
This has some implications...
I am no longer have any social media interaction with "locals", i.e. people in Abergavenny. To be fair I was somehow blocked from "Abergavenny Voice" (and I literally have no clue why, and was not told). I was in one of the many alternative local groups on Facebook (there are always some). In the past I have been a major contributor (like when I decided to repaint the old iron cast road sign on my road). This I miss, to be honest. I'd like some way to be in a local community chat, somehow.
I am no longer on any family chat on social media, but that is not an issue as I am on the iMessage groups with friends and family (and for one person, WhatsApp, for now). So that is no loss, good. My wife is not on Facebook nor Twitter so they (the family) sort of cope. Good.
I do see news, from many of the 1100 people I follow on Mastodon, but much less in terms of "fake news", and no adverts. What I see is often "interesting". It is not some algorithm to feed me, it is real people, and I control who I follow.
But the most noticeable thing is the "end of the scroll".
This will be something unheard of by the users of most social media - but it happens on Mastodon. I read the feed, and get to the end of new posts. That is it. The end! No algorithm finding new "engagement" for me. No adverts. Just the end! I can reload and see one or two more, but not close to how fast i can read them.
So what now - well - it means, when at coffee in the morning, I get to the point of "put my phone down", and actually talk to my wife. We have apparently been married nearly 36 years, crazy.
I do recommend it, and I also welcome some way to make a "local community" chat that is not a shit-show, somehow. That is the one thing missing.
toot
There was talk of putting a limit on the scroll but I don't think it has been enacted?
ReplyDeleteWe had an Internet out event a few weeks ago and I ended up having to talk to the wife. Turns out she no longer works at Woolworths!
ReplyDeleteWho knew?
The local element is the big thing. Nextdoor is popular - but they are diabolically bad and have no concept whatsoever of GDPR compliance (still getting emails from a delete-and-forget me forever account). I do feel there's a gap here, I have no idea an algorithm free chatboard would ever gain traction without marketing millions and an additive-free angle. I've come back time and again to this idea - maybe it is time to finally do something (minus the millions)? Patrick
ReplyDeleteI spent many years *not* being in a (the) local Facebook group, then joined it for a bit (during, but not because of, Covid-19) and have subsequently left it again. The proportion of valuable content was so low it wasn't really worth it - and it is also full of people listing things they are giving away but then other people taking the worthwhile stuff almost immediately, so unless you're constantly looking, you are unlikely to be successful. As there is still a regular printed newsletter, anything massively important gets shared that way. It's just nicer not to have to read every single little thing that goes on.
ReplyDeleteThe local newspaper (we are lucky enough to still have one) is useful, but unfortunately the only sensible way to read it online nowadays without driving yourself crazy is via Feedbin and the extract content facility or (slightly less good) with javascript completely disabled.