(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Top Comments: Antisocial Social Media, part 2 [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-10-25 Awhile back, I diaried about looking for an alternative to Twitter. I’d been using it for entertainment, but also to connect with other book lovers and promote my writing. (I actually found my publisher through a Twitter pitch party!) But since Apartheid Clyde bought the place (surely the first time he ever followed through with any of his announced plans), Nazis and other hatemongers are flourishing, fake news is wall-to-wall, the ads are creepy, and the people I enjoy have stopped showing up in my timeline. I think I’ve found a new hangout. But first, a word from our sponsor! Here at Top Comments we welcome longtime as well as brand new Daily Kos readers to join us at 10pm Eastern. We strive to nourish community by rounding up some of the site's best, funniest, most mojo'd & most informative commentary, and we depend on your help!! If you see a comment by another Kossack that deserves wider recognition, please send it either to topcomments at gmail or to the Top Comments group mailbox by 9:30pm Eastern. Please please please include a few words about why you sent it in as well as your user name (even if you think we know it already :-)), so we can credit you with the find! I was a little hesitant about Threads, since it’s owned by another soulless billionaire (Zuckerberg, who also owns Facebook & Instagram). And it’s kind of ridiculous that I had to create an Instragram account in order to use Threads. But after a week on Threads, I think I’m hooked. When I first logged on, the algorithm showed me some pretty gross stuff. But the algorithm’s apparently pretty sensitive, because I started liking and following anything connected with books and writers, plus some leftist politics, and now that’s pretty much all it shows me. (Like Twitter, Threads lets you go back & forth between an algorithmic feed or just the people you follow.) I arrived just as posters were inaugurating a new tradition: writing a “Dear Algorithm” post telling it what you’d like to see. I still use Mastodon as well. Mastodon has a more eclectic vibe: you can join an “instance” that’s tailored to your interests (I’m in one for writers & artists), but I get content on all kinds of topics from people all over the world. Like Threads, it’s ad-free and more focused on interaction than follower counts or going viral. I tried Substack Notes, but following someone there means signing up for their Substack, and nobody needs that many newsletters. (There are a few I do read regularly, like Jessica Valenti’s daily update on reproductive rights nationwide.) Also tried Post, which seems to be mostly journalists, not a bad way to scan the news but not really set up for socializing. Other than Threads, the only site that seems likely to become the consensus Twitter replacement is Bluesky. I haven’t tried it; it requires an invitation to join, and I’m inherently suspicious of it since the founder is the same guy who ignored Twitter’s Nazi & harassment problems for years before selling it to Musk. I think some Daily Kos people have used Spoutible and liked it; I haven’t tried it. Anyway — if you’ve fled Twitter or just want to check out another site, you can find me here on Mastodon or here on Threads. On to Top Comments! No submissions tonight. Folks, remember to send those awesome comments in! Top mojo, courtesy of mik: Picture quilt, created y jotter, brought back by elfling & the help desk crew: [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/10/25/2201242/-Top-Comments-Antisocial-Social-Media-part-2?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/