This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things...

So I did it. I installed Threads. And it was exactly what I thought it would be. Just kind of fun, silly, random posts. 

The first day. 

Then the "Why isn't it more..." and "Why can't I?" posts started. 

Then the journalists and media and political personalities that are used to getting amplified by the algorithms on other social media spaces started to complain that they weren't being amplified on Threads and how it was going to be a detriment to society.

Then the bots came and the comments (Threads? Threadeds?) under the original posts are no longer just people on Threads adding to a conversation but are the reply for thousands and my psychic helped me and bitcoin yeah buddy posts again. 

I thought it would take about 6 months to fall apart but it looks like it'll take a week. 

Then when I was telling Katie about it she was like..."well...since they let everyone from Insta over the whole anti trans Insta movement is there and if their posts are reported the response is that Threads isn't going to be political so they aren't going to delete posts that people are mad at about politics. So yeah, too anti trans for me." 

And I was like, what? Since when is Insta anti trans? But since I curate the hell out of my online experiences it's not for me. I've never even seen it. But now that I know it's a problem I'm like well do I just drop all of the Meta stuff all together and never seen social media again? Or do I just stay really vigilant over what is showing up in my feeds? 

We went from this is fun and charming to well this is toxic and horrible in the space of a few days. 

And this is why we can't have nice things. 

I was also talking to Katie and to Brent about how much hunger there is out there for something nice and charming. And also how much push back there is against it. Like people were literally posting Threads about how Threads was too nice and it needed the sewer posts to drive engagement and make it popular and lasting. 

Because the brain is hyper attuned to negativity. That's just science. (It really is, I know I use that's just science sarcastically all the time, but it legit is science, survival of the fittest means always being hyperaware of negative encounters)

But because of the hyper awareness it's much more likely for you to focus on a negative comment than a positive one. And because a lot of the negative comments and posts and things right now (for certain communities) are actually dangerous it's important to be aware of them. Survival kicks in. 

But that means that something nice and easy doesn't stand a chance. We (the collective we) will ruin it. 

Us and capitalism. I mean, if you are going to have something big like Threads it's got to make money. And right now it's in the hook you into it stage. Remember when Facebook was fun and you could keep up with your friends easily? That's where we are. When Instagram was scroll scroll scroll of your friends and those you followed posting pictures of their pets, their kids and their dinner. And if you liked that sort of thing (which I do) it was perfection. Now both Facebook and Insta are ten ads then possibly a post from a friend but it's one you saw last week, where is the new stuff and why aren't you showing me more than three of MY own people? Threads will get there. 

And apparently sooner than I thought since everything else is moving quickly. 

But oh my gosh is there a craving for nice things. For pleasant people. For lovely conversations. You could feel the collective longing on those first few days of Threads. 

How do we get to the point where that is the normal interaction again and the screaming meemies are the fringe exceptions again? 

Can we?

And this is where it ties back into the whole reason why I decided to limit my Facebooking in the first place. I miss what it was and I'm desperately clinging to what is left. 

But I really want something else. I really want a space where all of the lovely friends I've made all over the world can hang out digitally and chat and tell jokes and share pictures and snippets of their lives. I really want to think of the people that populate my world as decent individuals not conspiracy posting hate mongers. I really want politicians to stop wanting to be celebrities posting shit to get an audience and instead be politicians because they want to help people and make things better. I want journalists not media personalities. I want to be able to enjoy a "celebrities, they're just like us" post as in they have houses and kids, not they are incredibly hateful and prone to following nonsense. 

I want something that doesn't exist. Not in this hyperconnected world where we've all shown each other our full ass for so long that we don't know how to reel it all back and be a little quieter and whole lot kinder. 

So now I've given myself a whole lot more to think about.

Which sort of fucking sucks, honestly. 

Because I'm honestly a little afraid of the conclusion I'm going to come to.

But at least I have some free time to work it out...