Bluesky, Twitter, Echos, And @ssholes

Bluesky is a new-ish social media platform that is having a bit of a moment. After the election, as it became clear that Twitter had devolved into a far-right echo chamber and harassment delivery system, people started to leave, very quickly. Bluesky is apparently getting a million new users a day, and the people who follow such things say that the engagement at Bluesky is already more effective than that of Twitter. (You can follow me here, if you’d like) People are enjoying the social media platform, so, of course, people must criticize its users. The main complaint is that Bluesky, with its robust moderation tools and lack of forced algorithmic interaction means that Bluesky is an echo chamber for the left.

This is a stupid position.

First, in an age where the New York Times sane washes RFK Jr., and the New York Times spent the entire election campaign flooding the zone about inflation and Biden’s age with on commiserate stories around Trump, and the Washington Post and LA Times’ owners refuse to allow an endorsement of Harris, and all the social media platforms are owned by right wing billionaires, the idea that leftists aren’t exposed to right wing, even far right wing, ideas is so disconnected from reality as to be its own phycological disorder. Even the idea that people in this country are somehow not exposed to MAGA thought is silly. There is no place where MAGA does not have representatives — we see and have to hear these people all the time.

Second, even if you grant the premise: so what? At what point did it become required that every aspect of my life be subject to debate me bros and do your own research twits? The best times in social media where before the companies decided to mine our misery and anger for clicks. Facebook, when it allowed me to just keep in touch with family and friends, was excellent. Twitter was never as smooth, but there was a time when it helped bring fun into your day. Besides, if I want to explore an idea, I will read a book or watch a documentary or seek out actual experts. The idea that people farming for engagement on social media are somehow worthy of attention, that you will miss some deep insight if you ignore them, is ludicrous.

Third, and this is related to number two, I am not required to give bad faith arguments or the people who make them any of my attention. Most of the complainers are rather dull, boring far right agitators or centrist attention seekers. On Twitter and Facebook, they were able to manipulate the algorithm to drive traffic to themselves. Many found ways to turn that traffic into money or influence or both. But Bluesky, with its strong blocking and lack of algorithmic driven engagement, has foreclosed that avenue. Now that Twitter has privileged right wing viewpoints and non-right wingers are leaving, the stir up hate method of self-enrichment doesn’t work nearly as well. I suspect that, not some noble concern for the quality of civic discourse, is driving the whining.

And it really is whining. I don’t owe anyone my attention. I have seen enough “here’s why trans and gays are icky” and “your racist uncle isn’t really that racist” articles to last a lifetime. Because, dude, no they are not and yes, he is, I promise you. Been that way my entire life. I shouldn’t feel bad about not interacting with those kinds of arguments or the people who make them. As noted, I am exposed to those arguments in almost every news source almost every day. Life is hard and short, and likely to get harder. Bluesky lets me enjoy a slice of online life, lets me find interesting and enjoyable people to interact with. Twitter tries to get me to engage with the angriest, most boring people on the internet. I have no moral obligation to do so. Maybe these complainers should try and be more interesting if they want people to interact with them and stop whining that Bluesky doesn’t rig the game in their favor like Twitter did.

In the meantime, I am going to go right on enjoying interacting with the funny, interesting, and decent people on Bluesky. Happiness is a virtue.