Blog

Short blog posts, journal entries, and random thoughts. Topics include a mix of personal and the world at large. 

Are you threading?

Facebook (I’m not calling it Meta), via its Instagram division, have launched a twitter competitor. It is called Threads. In five short days since launch, the service have already amassed over 100 million accounts. The major brands and personalities you're following on twitter have likely all jumped over to the new thing. So why haven't you?

I haven’t signed up for Threads because that would break my own rule of having nothing to do with anything Facebook (again, not calling it Meta). My own Facebook account have been long deactivated. So have the instagram handle. I’ve essentially convinced my friends to join me on Signal, therefore no need to keep the WhatsApp around. There will be zero nefarious ad-targeting (and probably spying) on me!

Besides, the whole point of leaving twitter is in large parts eliminating all social media apps from my everyday life. The other part obviously is Elon Musk’s utter mismanagement.

It’s sad to see twitter dying on a proverbial vine. Now that a worthy replacement have appeared - back by the biggest social media company of all time - I don’t see how twitter can survive. Locally here we speak of a doom spiral in San Francisco - the same can be said if people start ditching twitter in droves. There comes a point of critical mass, and there would be nothing worthy or notable remaining on the bird app. The party’s over at Threads.

I have to say, it’s a masterful way to set 44 billions dollars on fire. Monsieur Musk is like the Joker in The Dark Knight - torching the money he stole from the mobsters simply for sport. It’s sad to watch, honestly, because twitter will be but a beautiful memory. Forever lost to the pantheon of bygone social media apps.

Morning glory.

Farewell, twitter

So, I deactivated my twitter account! After more than a decade, it’s time to say goodbye to the bird app. No, this act isn’t a commentary on the state of things vis a vis Elon Musk. Rather, me quitting twitter is the final piece to my complete divestment from social media (I’ve long quit Facebook and Instagram many years ago). To cut myself off fully from the rampant toxicity and negativity. Instead of scrolling through the twitter feed in the morning, now I’ll just listen to music. The latter is a much healthier exercise, that I can assure you.

What do I do for news now? Well, back to what it was before the advent of twitter: actually visiting websites. For technology stuff I’ve got The Verge to tell me the latest. Up-to-date sports there’s ESPN. For Kpop interest there’s the venerable AllKpop. Unlike the endless dopamine hit of an infinite scrolling twitter feed, there’s a finite amount of new stuff when you visit these pages. Surely I’ll get some precious time back from the inability to doom-scroll.

Twitter wasn’t (and isn’t) all negative. I’m going to miss chancing upon book recommendations, or excellent online articles that I otherwise would not have encountered. There’s also the thing I would argue that twitter is best for: watching significant live events or shows. There’s a certain communal magic in having a big sporting match on the TV, and the twitter feed on another screen. I get to see in real-time how others are responding to the same thing I’m watching. Watching a Formula One race won’t be as joyful henceforth, and that is indeed a sad part to quitting twitter.

As with any change, I’m sure I’ll adapt to it in no time. Thanks a bunch for the many good times, bird app.

Lunch is served.