Full transparency. I'm muting a few gaming mutuals on here that mostly repost political articles/rage posts. Bluesky is my one reprieve from all the noise I see EVERYWHERE else. I'm choosing my mental peace because that's not why I'm here. It's not personal, but I wanted to be honest. I'm sorry.😔
Absolutely fair. I wouldn’t want anyone to follow me if I stress them out and vice versa.
no worries here. i only talk about nerdy stuff and my cats. lol
Yeah I get it man
Respectable I've plenty of people I follow that are borderline activists for good reasons and I can see it comes from a good place BUT it's not their entire identity People who do it for the grift or make it their entire identity, I white girl "can't even" with that I need nerd shit in my life 😭🤌
As someone who doesn't live in the US, having to wade through all the political bullshit here is very tiring. It was nice when it was a niche social media site, but now it's "mainstream" it's horrific. My "blocked words" list is insanely long - and growing daily !
Bravo. Exactly this. I've had it up to here with US politics.
Don't be sorry! The main reason we all use Bsky is because we can create our own experience instead of being a slave to some stupid algorithm. We can't escape the noise and chaos of the digital world, but at least we can build our own little cozy digital neighborhood here on Bsky 💙
I have done the same. Not only because of my mental health, but I already live in a very difficult country with a lot of problems, and I cannot swallow more issues happening around me which I can't do anything about and it is stress that builds up unnecessarily.
These posts hitting at the right time. I was added to a starter pack back when I joined - a whole bunch of.. I guess "resist" folks followed me. I don't think I interact with any of them. I'm also here to escape from noise for a little while. If I need a noise fix, plenty of other places to get it!
Yea I think most of those are folks trying to capitalize on a known left-leaning userbase here on bluesky which is deplorable. It exploits good people just so they can grow a following.
Understandable. Just because we're not constantly posting about the world being on fire doesn't mean we're ignoring the fire.
Here's the thing- I have brothers. One of them is extremely political: he constantly listens to podcasts, he reads articles, and he'll tell anyone who asks or broaches the topic about his political opinions. Hours and hours of his time- every week. For years. I think he got 3 people to change.
You have to know how to play your cards. Otherwise all of that effort and time is spent only annoying yourself.
You always should do you! Hopefully o don’t add noise and if I do I’m at least thoughtful on it?!
Do what you gotta do to protect your peace bro😌
All this over Nintendo vs sega?
I fucking wish.
The only thing I personally find odd about this is that you feel like you have to announce it. Just do your thing, my guy. You don't have to explain anything.
It's just weird glory signaling towards a certain crowd. An unnecessary post to get clicks. It is what it is, and I'm out.
I hear you, I AM an overthinker a lot! I try to interact with or acknowledge everyone who responds. Muting makes their comments invisible to me and might make them wonder why I'm no longer interacting. I felt I should explain my decision for anyone who may suddenly feel like I'm ignoring them.
I might be overly sensitive about people's feelings, but it felt like the right thing to do for me to just be honest about why. I appreciate and respect the perspective, though.
Don’t you dare mute me!
I try to seldom post about politics unless it's something especially pertinant to me, but I get people want to have something of a reprieve from all that. So sorry if I'm one of the few who's been a bit too polticial of late.
Completely understandable. While I don't mute much, I hardly look outside of the circle of mutuals I've got notifications on for anymore, so I know political posts and rage posts are kept to a mininum for the most part.
I did the same thing a little bit ago. I work in government and I definitely don’t need more of it here.
Fully agree, we're constantly exposed to the antics of certain people and the grifters and press going all out with ragebait and idiotic headlines, but we just want to live happily and enjoy our hobbies, not to be outraged 24/7 With that said, I'm going back to this Camino de Santiago of mine (FFX)
Nah I feel the same. If I see too much politics from a moot or something I do the same
Just unfollow
It's just easier to mute. I go check my mute list periodically and if the politics stuff has cooled off I unmute. I'm active with it.
Kinda wish bluesky had a "see less of this" option.
Idk if you've had this experience but when I unfollow people they show up on my feed even more, so this advice really wouldn't even work.
I'm not sure what feed you're using, but the default one is the "Following" feed.
'S fair enough, really.
Fair
Don’t apologize at all! One of the biggest reasons a lot of us moved over to bluesky from the bird app was to get away from all that mess. I’ve muted some posts myself - you do what you have to do to protect yourself.
The hard part is it's important to talk about stuff a little bit at least because it's really important to not get numb. But at the same time it's good to have a safe place to have fun from all that.
I think folks are getting reprogrammed because it defaults to every single social media site having to have political bait on it at all times and everyone has to have an opinion on every issue. Sometimes escapism is needed, and that doesn't mean we aren't still HELPING where we can.
With ya bro- it’s for my mental health
Yea. I'm passionate about social issues and I get angry about stuff going on too. But I do what I can and try not to fall into the political machine pit that's really just there to get views/clicks/ad revenue.
It's important to be informed...but so is mental health! Do what you need to do! (assuming I'm not one of the muted ones and you can actually see this 😄)
No politics on my page. I post nothing but #Nintendo, other geeky stuff, and my cats. If you need that in your feed, please give me a follow. 😊
Can't say I blame you.. seeing all that stuff everyday is bad for my mental health TBH
It is! I think we kind of get to expect it because it's everywhere, but damn it really starts to wear you down. We can all still care and do what's right without bombarding our spaced with it all the time.
I'm kind of torn a bit between being aware and wallowing in doom and it easily devolves into the latter for me..
I mean, it is really hard not to when all signs do point to “this isn’t good” to put it lightly. But I must broadly ask, how else does one ensure that insanity doesn’t get accepted as the new normal?
Okay I'll bite.. what can someone like me.. (and you don't really know me or my problems) do to stop it? And don't give me any obvious answers because I either already do them or already considered them.. unfortunately I have no control even over the people immediately around me to make them better
I was genuinely asking because I don’t know either. Balance is something I struggle with.
I really hate that if the world really is going insane and that sanity is the new insane there's little I can actually do and that's part of what's frightening.. I've gotten so frightened that it's combined with my disabilities like chronic pain in a debilitating sort of way..
Same here. It is important to see it, but not be drowned in it. Thanks for the introspection, cheers
I do this as well.
You do what you have to for your own peace of mind; it's cool 😎 👌
I feel BlueSky basically is just the anti-X and it’s just a ton of left leaning political rage posts vs the right. It’s exhausting
It's funny because I'm very liberal. I won't hide that, but my god some of these posts are just... rage into a void that doesn't help anyone.
Perfectly reasonable, to be honest. I have reposts turned off completely for my main tab. I know I might some things that way, but it gets way too cluttered for my liking. And it's also more often than not something completely unrelated.
Bluesky will never be as big as Twitter or even close when 75% of the posts are just US politics and news. There is a dearth of topics compared to Twitter, and people will try to make you feel guilty if you wanna talk about other things. Like is all you wanna do all day is scream into a mirror?…
dw bro i get it too, especially if some people ONLY post those kinds of things.
.....you're fine. lol
I also dislike political posts but will keep making them as long as I feel I need to. It's also important to do what you need to to keep your sanity.
Do what you feel you need to do, I'm not the arbiter. And most people are fine, it's the ones that constantly do it when they claim to be gaming accounts. It's like, I'm not following you for this lol.
You don’t ever need to apologize. I’d only ask that if I ever did that, that you’d just block so that I’d know.
Yikes, I try to stay away from that as well. It's so draining to see it all constantly
It's fair to do so for your own peace of mind, and you're only muting them at that, not even blocking. I've ended up blocking a lot of the 'blue resister' types as it's just sound and smoke from them and, in many cases, grift.
Yea, I appreciate that Sasha, I know you know what I'm trying to say. Ally til I die, but I also know I can help in ways that aren't falling into the bait posting traps.
I think being a chill dude helps a lot actually. A lot of us trans folks just want spaces where we can talk about our passions without someone shouting about stupid shit around us 24/7. I relate hard.
We're all human and we should treat each other with normalcy and have each other's backs when necessary.
I needed to hear that so much today. Thank you.
Of course! I mean it.
I have a block list for propaganda but I give them an out if they use alt text so I can filter with mute words. I can’t be convinced that getting spammed with endless badly generated photos of people I don’t want to look at is helping anything.
Tbh i dont feel i have a say at all in what you do on YOUR page. If you want to mute people for your peace of mind, i have no right to tell you otherwise. some people are way too concerned about controlling people and making you feel bad for not using social media their way. Keep on, keeping on♥️
Dont blame you at all im lookimg for positivity not the stuff is see everyday
I’ve done this plenty of times over the years on social media. I can’t stop people from posting whatever they want but I sure can curate what I see. 👍
Agreed, that's all it is.
I have done the exact same, not here for politics, that's for Reddit doomscrolling 💀
I am here for gaming and life uplifting things. I get bombarded with so much negative stuff from everywhere else I can't and don't want to spread that. I just want people to be happy. I feel my Space Quest Collectors Edition progress is uplifting :)
Followed for Space Quest!! Great work!
Totally with you there! That’s fair, you shouldn’t feel obligated to have a particular type of content on your feed, whichever way you look at it. And Bluesky is my mostly safe space too 🫶🏼
I feel you on that. Take the space you need, and I hope it helps you keep your peace. ❤️
Honestly completely valid imo. Everyone deserves to have a bit of freedom even if just for own mental health in climates like these. Hope your day has been going well, Retro💚
Was nice knowing ya😂
I haven't seen you posting 90% politics rage, unless I'm blind? lol
Good to know. I think part of it is that I don’t post much in general, and part of it is I try not to be too ragey😂 I try to keep my political posts productive. But I definitely go back and forth between video games and politics.
Lol Ross, I think you have a good balance! I will retweet and occasionally post something about the current situation but not that often--it's the most important thing in our country rn, but also we all know and mostly agree here
I appreciate it. I honestly try to hold back on the political stuff that I post, but it’s hard when there’s just so much very bad and incredibly important things happening all the time. But I totally understand people need to protect their peace, and I don’t hold it against anyone.
I say this with absolute respect. I challenge you to pull back on that and focus on what's in front of you and that you can actually change. Megaphoning this stuff helps no one and wasted efforts best focused where it will help someone. And keep your peace protected elsewhere. Just my 2 cents.
I hear you. I’m lucky enough to have a very solid home life and a great job that I love and I find fulfillment in, and I don’t often get worked up by stuff on social media. Theres a lot of bad out there and I absolutely see how it can be overwhelming. I just try not to add to the bad, ya know?
There's also the consideration of your audience and why people follow you. If they are truly interested in hearing about the latest news again, or just wanna chat about stuff they're passionate about.
Definitely understandable,it’s better to protect your peace than deal with anything stress related. It’s not needed in your comfort zone just as well as anyone else’s,which it’s why i’ve put down what i put down in my bio tbh. It’s also not why i’m here either so i don’t blame you at all
I hear you. There’s a difference between caring about politics, and obsessing over every little thing. If it’s a post here and there I don’t mind, but when it’s the only thing someone talks about it makes me want to unfollow.
Agreed, occasionally I don't mind but I notice accounts who do it constantly and it grates me.
Exactly. I also vote in every election (not just president) so it’s not like I’m doing nothing. I also live in a swing state, so we get slammed by political ads nonstop as is. I don’t need it everywhere.
Do what you have to do. You should enjoy your time here!
That seems very fair Pat
Nooooo we were such good pals! 😫
I don't think I've seen much of this from you tbh!
Doesn't mean I won't someday pull an Anakin and turn to the Dork Side of the gaming community that incessantly obsesses over political drama especially with how easy it is to drown in it today. I'll try my best to avoid it but I'm only human and make mistakes.
You can resist it Clim!
There really should be a "Turn off reposts" option for people.
Does using the "Only Posts" feed accomplish what you're describing?
i think they probably meant like only for certain people
I can't believe that feature hasn't made it over here from Twitter yet.
Valid. I can understand the odd political post here and there, especially on a subject that's important to you. But I don't want to constantly see political stuff, I just want to be happy here.
Fair
I've had to do that too. Most of my BlueSky and IRL friends, especially my besties, do a great job of that. It turns out though that it's the randoms I've had to block; one of them was a trombonist I worked with, he posts political articles and rage posts synonymous with Blue MAGA.
i try not to worry about the unknown anymore. just gaming. that’s what got me through his last term lol
Totally get if you gotta mute me over it, tbh.
yeah, absolutely same. I kniw I post too much whimsy for the people that are here exclusively for rage and too much rage for the people who are trying to escape from that, I absolutely do not begrudge anyone for an unfollow or a mute
Me as well. I also know as someone with mental health issues it's not always pleasant to follow, so I really absolutely just want people here to protect their peace and do what they need to do!
I don't think I've seen much from y'all. And please, understand I'm talking about gaming accounts that 90% do this and nothing else. It's like every day they just repost every single BS article they find and it's like I'm on facebook.
Oh, gotcha, yeah that makes sense. I try to balance it out for this reason, too - I just want people to be okay and happy, haha ;_;
I've unfollowed a few people who I followed specifically cause they were in a starter pack for people who talk about movies and they post nothing but politics. I understand posting about it every so often cause you know *looks around* the world but if it's all you post I'm out
That’s right!
Exactly.
Don't be sorry. If that's not what you're here for and they take issue, that's their problem.
I expect some "You don't care about the REAL WORLD AND REAL PAIN, WE HAVE TO FIGHT AND-" Please. Reposting political articles and raging every day changes zero. I donate, I vote, I do what I can with what I have. I just don't want politics everywhere I go. It's not healthy for anyone, really.
If I talk politics I mostly try and do it in a non rage bait manor. The rage bait does nothing to help anyone. Knowing what is going on is good but if you are doing the extreme of either side. It isn't talking about or informing it's just bitching 😂
lol yes agreed!
You’re not even a political account, you’re explicitly about gaming. It’s crazy that people on here get mad at other people for having hobbies and enjoying things lol.
That’s right!
Man, I get it. I have to remind myself to not politics-post all the time. I like to talk about other things, too! It's just...*gestures wildly at everything*
I’ve muted many individuals and sadly I’ve had to block some random people as well—every so often I get several political accounts just randomly following me; I check everyone’s posts before I follow back and if all I see is politics and nothing else … 🙂↔️
I don’t play that reciprocity game at all. I follow people I want to follow, if people follow me, that’s great but whatever. I see those accounts with 30,000 followers and see that they’re following 40,000 accounts and I’m just like what’s the fucking point?!25,000 those are probably bots anyway.
Agreed 👍🏻
Those people should've gone to Threads instead of bringing politics here.
I can't even pretend I'm meeting this moment. Just let me remember that I played video games
Rest is just as important. If you're on 24/7, you'll quickly be no good to anybody.
Well said, I myself don't want to be bombarded by politics, especially US politics which seems to have been really rampant on here since the last election and which with all due respect is not that relevant to.
me
I have a separate account for that. Basically one that I use for hobby stuff, shitposting, and attempts at streaming And the other well it’s actually kind of the same pfft but there’s room for politics and current events. Curating what you see on what account I don’t think is bad.
I feel this man, I really do. I come here to talk about video games, connect with people, and make friends. The real world can be brutal sometimes, so having a place to escape, share laughs, trade stories, and enjoy the things we love together really helps.
Internet is the worst place to argue about politics, and of allthe internet social medias are the worse place online to do it. Sadly, it has become the first place for political talks, including by politics. And I feel this is a huge part of why everything is going to hell. 🤷♂️
Frankly I got online in the late 90s because it was my ONE place where I could I expect the shitty of the real world. I try to keep it so as much as possible.
Thank you. Some people came here from Twitter to get away from the politics, and it is amazing that some people can't figure this out.
This is the smartest route. Arguing on social media doesn’t help anybody. I’m guilty of it from time to time, but I came here for a reason, and that reason was to get away from all that negativity and talk about my nerdy interests with like minded people 💅🏻
I am as politically aware and involved as I can get without becoming absolutely insane. It all comes with balance, when to tune in, when to shut off.
Exactly this ❤️🔥 and i’ve said similar to this so many times outside of socials. Complaining and all the negativity will get nowhere for anybody,it’s not needed in our comfort zones/gaming spaces. We deal with enough irl,so none of it should be within gaming/anime topics or in positive feeds
I think people definitely should be allowed to disconnect or take a break from real-life without being shamed. It's not really healthy to focus on this stuff 24/7 anyways sorry just my 2 scents
*cents ugh typos will be death of me
I respect your peace brother. 🤝
Full disclosure: this is 1 of the main reasons I left Twitter. As a general rule, I try to avoid talking politics on social media, but after the US election last year, it just seemed to intensify. That's why I'm mainly about sharing my art, gaming shares, & reposting stuff I consider "feel good".
Exactly!! We can be human and have feelings of the state of what's going on around us. However, we don't have to let it dictate our lives. It's also okay to not be okay right now, too. Whatever we have that can bring us peace and joy, we MUST hold onto it. If others can't understand, they want that.
I wish I could like this post more than once. I've had to do the same recently because it started taking a toll on me bad.
Some people are loud on the front line, some people are quiet in the background. As long as we're doing our part. I hope I'm not one of those accounts, but I get it. It's the same reason I instituted #sillygoosesunday. Sometimes we need the reprieve to stay sane.
I don't think I've seen this, and like I mentioned to someone else here, these are accounts that say they are gaming accounts and post 90% politics.
Okay. I really REALLY try to strike a balance between AAAAAAAAHHHH and non-AAAAAAAAHHHH stuff. I think both are equally important... this reassures me that I'm doing okay on that front. 😁
I wish I could like this post a thousand times.
I would like this 7000 times if i could.
And in other news of awesome, I went to 2D Con last weekend! Here's some random pics I took! It was a very fun time!
Well said.
Yeah there are times I get so caught with all of the political news that I have to do a step back then come back later and try to chill. I would like to stay updated but it can get too much sometimes
10/10 so true brother. This place is my art haven, I left Twitter for a reason.
This 100%, my gaming account is politics free even if I agree. This is my bubble of happiness, I stay heavily engaged on other accounts but need mental health breaks.
I have a problem with reposting but it's hard not to do with everything that's happening. I try to be a little bit discerning but I don't blame anyone for muting me.
I said this to someone earlier, try and think of what your reposting does to help anyone? Not much. It gets the site ad revenue. Does it help anyone change their minds here, or just piss them off more? I think it's better to focus on what you have hands on in life and can change for the better. IMO.
Yeah, I won't quit but, starting today, it will only be A. Instructional B. Funny C. Showing a clear and present danger that is new to me.
I forgive you
I started my account again because I wanted to talk about nerdy stuff I'm interested in. I do my best to not talk about real world or political stuff, mostly because you can go to the Discover tab for it. You don't need it from me.
I only follow someone if they follow me, and I check their posts first to see if I'd like their posts on my feed every day. If it's a bot or stuff I don't care about, or excessively political, I don't follow back. That just looks like advertisement.
It’s such a constant uphill battle to stay responsibly informed about current events but to not stay SO informed that it burns your mental health to ash
I mute accounts for the same reason, as well as a bunch of words to try and reduce it as much as possible. Your feed is your own. I also see people who seem to monitor their followers, blocks and stuff like that. That level of analysis is not healthy and will lead to nothing but anxiety.
I can fully understand, since coming to Bluesky I've been trying very hard not to engage in any of that, it's exhausting and most people are just looking to doomscroll anyways. I'm here to post stuff about games/movies/shows and my dogs, hopefully to have fun conversation and make people smile.
Followed because of that!
Same here. Sometimes I even unfollow mutuals over muting but it depends. Bluesky is my happy place and I will protect it like I'm keeping my addiction a secret.
I can get a little doom and gloom about political stuff but I’ve really been trying to post more games and stuff like that. We all know what’s happening in the world, I don’t need to be another voice in the echo chamber. But we do need someone else to talk about Ape Escape.
All good! I’m the same way. Just because I’m not very vocal on here about politics doesn’t mean I don’t care, and also… I’m just so tired of it all. I’m donating, I’m voting, that’s all I can do.
People gotta diversify. You'd have to be a fool to not be upset at things outside of here, but if all you are is mad about the state of the world, you're not making the world better.
It's as much as when you're a kid you were just oblivious to politics, but being an adult now, it's like hard to avoid it, and not to mention with news and stuff being crammed even harder with technology, yeeeah. Noise best describes it.
It's getting a bit much isn't it? I'm sorry it's being a bit naff for you. I feel like a lot of people get really intense here. (But I wasn't on the previous place so I have no barometer)
Oh it's okay, I honestly am not mad or anything but I like to be honest about this stuff. It doesn't apply to most poeple just the ones who are gaming accounts and all they post is that stuff.
If you haven't muted me yet, let me just say that I do in fact still develop an indie retro space exploration game, Approaching Infinity Which is overwhelmingly positive on steam and still gets overlooked by press/yt.
store.steampowered.com/app/551620/A...
I have to assume I'm one of them and, tbqh, I don't blame you in the slightest. Protect your peace, tend your own garden.
I haven't noticed it from you specifically unless you do it 90% of the time lol.
I mean, I feel like I do it a lot! I have to make a conscious effort to post stuff BESIDES the byproducts of doomscrolling.
Have been doing the same don't blame you
Can’t blame you
I've considered doing this too. The noise is tiring.
Absolutely 💯
I have to do this occasionally.
I try really hard not to post political stuff on my profile for this reason, but this post is a great reminder to why I came here to begin with. But yeah, protect your peace. Hopefully I haven't contributed to any rage baiting. I am only human, however, and falliable.
No shame in it. All anyone can do is create their own peace of mind among all this insanity.
Do what you need to do.
I completely understand that. I joined Bluesky to get away from a lot of that stuff myself. I use other resources to stay informed, but I mostly try to keep this a safe space.
This is one of the most relatable things ive seen while on bluesky this is a safe zone i dont want all of that doom gloom and in fighting here my GOD i remember when people barely talked about politics now its gone the other way i dont want to be in it 24/7 id go insane
As someone who is politically engaged and very leftist/socialist, I always worry my leanings are gonna rub people the wrong way. But I've always had a good feeling about you. I try mostly to post about nerdy things like games, tech etc. I don't think ragebait is my style at all.
I appreciate that so much! And please understand, I stand for human rights and I'm very much an ally. I just know that I can't be my best self for anyone without my mental peace being in order. I do what I can, where I can, when I can.
Yeah. I did a quote repost where I defended your take so don't worry. I absolutely understand where you're coming from and I have so much respect for someone who actively takes control of their timeline. I will never take it personally if anyone does that with me. Especially nowadays.
thats real i post some of it but i also try to limit it too because im trying to escape the real world myself
No it makes sense. It can be exhausting. That’s why I deleted Threads.