Hey, I'm curious. Why do other folx use social media, knowing all the pitfalls and intellectual cul-de-sacs? I myself decided to give it another try after a break because I was tired of hearing that we don't do enough for homeless Veterans. I thought I could add something to that conversation.
At first I was here to provide free messaging and strategy for dems. Then I was here to provide emotional support through the horrors. Now I'm just here to stay connected to my people through the horrors. That's what the internet was originally for, to connect to your people. It's its real purpose.
And you've been a light in the dark all along, Deirdre. We all appreciate you for that.
Aww thank you so much Bob that means a lot 🥹🫂. Now I'm all 🥹♥️
I'm over here giving out free dad hugs on this fine Labor Day, Deirdre!
I'm right there with Bob. ❤️❤️
You guys are making my day.🥹🫂 Tomorrow is my birthday so this is like an early present. Thank you so much. I'm fully crying now 🫂
I'm with all of them! We came here at about the same time and under the same conditions (suspensions over THERE) and you were a huge reason I stayed here instead of there. Plus, as I've said numerous times, the queen of the timeline cleanse. Remember the bad old days? 👇🏻
Oh my gosh I didn't even save these! Thank you John! These are amazing. I'm going to download them and keep them like a scrapbook 😅
I have a ton! 🤣
❤️❤️ it's true. I lost my mom last year. I had days where I didn't know how I'd keep going. Posts like yours and Bob's helped me. People like you and Bob are absolutely lights in the dark with your honesty and candor and also comedy. You guys are why I stay on social media
I have 3 main uses: news, calls-to-action, and laughs. Somewhere in there is a loose sense of community. It takes a lot of work to manage to keep it useful and to not overdo it, and sometimes I just have to take breaks.
to me it feels like, social media has changed a lot with custom feeds on bluesky, people can tweak their in-bubble/out-bubble experience with more control taking feedback from in-groups and raising awareness to out-groups (to get to something meaningful) is still a longer process
As terrible as social media is, Twitter was for a time to find some occasionally great things and interesting people that otherwise would have never even popped up on the radar. It's fun to joke around, and has become a bit of a creative outlet. Hoping bsky improves to include humor in the future.
I am here to connect with my people, tell jokes, share music videos, share food pics, and share information about amazing historical people 🤷
I’m here to kick fascist ass and shitpost. 🤘🏻
Love it
I'm on Facebook strictly for a couple of whiskey groups. I'm here mostly for news. I still post to Instagram a bit... but it's 99% whiskey. My feed is whiskey, whiskey, whiskey, dog, whiskey, kid, whiskey, whiskey, dog with whiskey, whiskey...
So, I hear you prefer wine coolers....
Your instagram feed would make a good country song. I dig it.
Social media is one of those Get What You Give spaces. If you use it as a surface-level doomscrolling feed to shout into the void that’s what you’ll get. But I’ve always used it to connect and to build community and it’s been endlessly useful for that. So many of my best friends have come from sm.
Yeah, I'm with you. I feel there are a lot of us here that are looking to build a community beyond what we already have IRL. Social Media can connect us in ways that surpass all others. If I had an RV and a million $ I could visit all my online friends around the country.
Exactly. You get to connect with people that you never would have crossed paths with IRL. I’ve used it a lot when moving, too, to kind of kickstart my local community and connections. It can be used endlessly for good, if we choose that.
"It can be used endlessly for good, if we choose that." Okay, but where does that leave dunking on dipshits, Sara.
I mean, I'm here for that, too.
I love that.
This. 🫀
i am disabled and lonely. and deep down i just hope one day people will listen to my music and care
Okay, so I missed that you had music. Chose "vandal van gogh" and it is a straight banger. I bought the album on the strength of that song.
Oh what?!? Really???
Yeah. I really like that.
oh wow. i'm so happy. thank you so much. i hope you love it. it's the culmination of my life's work, and i've never been more proud of something. i think it's perfect. i hope you find a little perfection and a little joy and a little pain in it.
You should be proud.
I use it to read and spread news that's important to me. I also like to scream into the Void because I live in a conservative area, and there aren't many IRL peeps I can rant with. Also, I LOVE LOVE LOVE meeting new people. It's why I love my job, I get to meet interesting people.
I’m only on this platform and it’s because I like the humans I follow. Also I want to know if he’s dead.
My first thought every morning 🤔
It's like group for me and a way to keep track of my insanity. Mostly on threads.
Bluesky is the only platform I post on, the people here are generally kind and intelligent. I like my Wordle folks, my baby elephants and of course, the politics and science journos. I never watch cable or broadcast news, I prefer to read it from sources I trust. And any jerks here, instant block. 😊
The insta-block is the most underrated cultural feature of Bluesky, imo. Outsiders will continue to say that we’re creating a bubble, but that’s mostly sour grapes from people who want to abuse civility to propagate disinformation.
This part. I'd pick spending my time in the bar where just the cool professors hang out than in the Starbucks in Target any day of the fucking week.
It’s a void I like to yell into that sometimes has cool randos yelling back.
This. I'm part of what Noah Smith once called "The Shouting Class."
I honestly believe if I can just make one person smile with my posts, I did my job. Never know, that might be the reason they push through whatever they're going through 🙏🏼
You have made me smile many times, Jose. Much appreciated.
I use it to get inside thoughts outside. It’s on all you if you read it or respond.
I needed a void to scream into while burning my life to the ground and trying to rebuild on the other side of the country. Some internet people started screaming back and suddenly I wasn't alone in the ashes anymore. Now I can't leave because I'm addicted to having friends.
I think you should be very proud of how you've endured, especially how you've kept your focus on being a good mom and growing as a person. A+, my friend.
And now I'm all in my feels 🥹 I appreciate you, friend 🖤
And I appreciate both of you
Covid hit and my mother was dying, then she died and I needed my peeps to keep me alive. Thank you, btw.
I didn't know you back then, but you're important enough to me now to send snacks to thru the USPS, so that's a lot of love from me 🫶
Those chips were the bomb 🩷🩷🩷
They were hot honey cheese curls! Who else is sending you snacks??? 😭😭😭😭 I thought I was special!
Laney, I'm from the south. All sodas are Cokes, and everything in the chip aisle is chips. I harassed you and Bob for weeks for those hot-honey babies, even bothered to search for them myself, so of course I remember. And you are special. 🩷🩷🩷
Aw, thanks! I figured it might be a regional thing. Plus, the brand is Herr's, and they're more known for chips than anything else. I found "all dressed" Pringles the other week and now I'm in Heaven!
All dressed? 👀
Any good?
Yes. They kinda remind me of a milder version of Zapp's Voodoo chips. Lots of flavor!
💜
🩷🩷🩷
Mostly it’s fun
I used to use it for artwork and social stuff/specific communities. I suppose that’s still what i do. I was pretty isolated from socials by the end of 2023, but i was also isolated at home and disappeared too much without the community. 🫀
I'm glad you're here. You are interesting and kind, which is a combination that is both exceedingly rare and unexpected.
Well thank you. I’m glad i found you on here…you’re a good Soul. 🫀
I'm here to shit post and #Resist this fascist shit Also, funny hoomans and (are) animals yo
You do Hell you changed a life (if not more, as I now am also a voice) That alone...
