Post

Do what you can to make it better instead of trashing it.

Good.

If Bluesky didn't exist, do you think anything would be better? Seems to me we'd be in roughly the same place, maybe slightly worse. Some users who moved to Bluesky would still be on X. Some would be on other platforms or no platform. Information shared here, good & bad, would be shared less.

bsky.app/profile/jamm...

I was 'dragged right' and I sure am not 'elite'. Lol I'm just starting to see the common sense from the 'right' and way too much hate from the left. Especially Bluesky. It's become a hate site. Why do we need political parties anyways? It just keeps us divided. I like X far better than this site.

So defensive when you started this whole thing.

What you are expressing makes total sense.

Interesting. I don't agree with what you are saying but I do understand some of your view. The issue is bigger than Twitter or Bluesky, it is our society, Twitter/Bluesky are just a reflection of that.

I got it before you explained it. I think your original posts were clear enough. I agree with you.

Elite dipshits aren't being dragged anywhere. This is what they always were. They just feel a little more comfortable showing glimpses behind the mask now.

I hope you're right! Er ... correct, that is.

A parallel world in which Biden and top Ds weren't idiots and cowards and blocked a post J6 takeover of Twitter by a Nazi MAGAt absolutely would have been better (and this was clear at the time as well).

👍🏻

Well, we could start by making sure that this site's management and moderation didn't actively hate a large chunk of the userbase. Some people are too sensitive about users making fun of them over their likes (I can't say who because I don't want to get banned. But you know exactly who I mean.)

Your bad posts are killing BlueSky, well done

organized boycott od specific entities still remaining on X?

Should also emphasize that old twt made it easy to see your circle of friends' rt/likes, and they moved away from that to pushing algorithmic posts. It's sad that it's so hard to curate seeing only what your friends share on any social media platform now. It all has to be dm'd directly

Mainstream media outlets, sports, celebrities and our federal elected officials are still frogs in the hot water quickly being boiled. Not bsky's fault but it is not the solution either. Not sure there is one.

I think you probably had SOME ideas about how to reverse it but you've already been unfairly dogpiled once today so I understand the reticence

And specifically something that involves putting responsibility and blame in the wrong places.

I might even find that a slight source of optimism were I not certain, based on the experience of the last 10 years, that what comes next will somehow be even worse.

He didn't say it was a net negative for *Evan Sutton* tho

The best solution is Musk never buys Twitter. The next best is everyone leaves. Alas, we're stuck with Elon bought it and lots of people refuse to grasp the problem therein. But at least fewer people are getting their brains cooked because bsky exists. I see net positive in that.

I think one misconception that stems out of the FOMO and also the now rather right-tilted media is the suspicion that Bluesky is extremely left wing. I think it may be more in line with the median voter than many suppose.

The net negative is that it can further divide a shared reality. In a "blue space" you see blue things and you see one narrative. In a "red space" you see red things and you see one narrative. In both cases, it's a small percentage that ventures out to see what "the other side" is saying.

Just enjoy the Sci Art tab?

I think we should suggest the below to well-meaning public figures at every opportunity. bsky.app/profile/mtsw...

“This party sucks” “then leave” “uuuh, no, uhhh, actually this party is great and I don’t want to leave, let me talk endlessly about it” “you have exactly one second to produce a picture of your cat, or we’re ignoring you. You knew what this was”

I think if your original post was a combo of this one and 2nd post above it, it would have had better, constructive response. Like “I fear Bsky has settled into a lib echo-chamber, how do we get more ppl over to here, diversify the discourse, while still keeping the openness and non-toxicity?”

I would also add those with huge accounts that did leave, but still didn't try to bring their followers with them. as in, didn't post links or make tweets directing people over. it could have helped alot.

No one should fucking care. If this site dies it dies, it's irrelevant.

What’s missing is the counter-factual. If, when Twitter turned into a Nazi bar, Bluesky did not exist, should everyone have stayed on Twitter? Should they have quit social media? And how would those be better options?

It’s probably the least worst because it doesn’t force an algorithm at you so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

But your explanation of what you were trying to say does not match what you originally said.

Yet to see a single account that makes these complaints that doesn't have some seriously transphobic shit a few posts in on their timeline that might explain why people act hostile towards them, and, well...

yes! r/communism -type mentality :/

Your points are very clear. Agree or disagree with them, the pile on is dumb. But it’s so Bluesky brained to do so.

Republicans could decide that supporting White Nationalism is bad and come on over... There are certainly some conservatives here that did just that. They can then set up their own hashtags to find each other and have their own happy little echo chamber. Nuclear block works for everyone. 2/

We understood what you were saying, we just didn’t agree. So in response you made ten more posts “mansplaining” how we didn’t know what we were talking about.

More practical: grow communities. The spaceshipper account is an awesome example (For SciFi nerds like me)

aren't you curious about people arguing in good faith? if you block anyone who doesn't agree with you, aren't you just building a smaller echo chamber within the echo chamber?

That is correct. All of what he things is speculation. He might as well do presidential polling

He seems to mistakenly believe that in the absence of Bluesky, more decent people would’ve stayed on X and it wouldn‘t have become so awful. That is of course highly unlikely. Decent people don’t want to hang out at a Nazi bar. And Musk was always going to turn it into a Nazi bar.

Bluesky was in the works before Musk bought Twitter, of course, but it would not be the Bluesky that exists today without the exodus, and the exodus doesn't happen without Musk taking over Twitter.

More than that, he's really illustrating your point! Absolutely nothing wrong with your original post, absolutely loads wrong with the people acting like twats about it.

You said “bluesky is a net negative” and your clarification describes a bunch of things that are not Bluesky. It’s fine that you made a mistake, but you absolutely did!

Don’t stop writing. Totally appreciate your work.

FWIW I appreciated the clarifications

Yeah, bsky is my small little happy place where I can attack the people I disagree with on my side, without having to fear I discredit them to our common opposites. It‘s almost talking to them in private 😂

I will agree with you on this - we, all here on Bluesky, have failed to organize better I am not skilled and have never organized anything and we need someone prominent to organize Since I have been here - I have not seen anyone step forward

‘K

My own solution (not a good one, but for now, mine) is to interact with poeple here, but read politics (all the deputies are there) on Twitter and boost every leftist post I find on my TL over there.

Hey man, being late to the thread gave me a chance to read the whole thing. You've made some good points which are supported by my own experience. Carry on mate.

I think I agree with your analysis BUT would like to know if you could provide some examples of “elites and journos” who stayed on Twitter and didn’t come here, being dragged to the right

I'm always interested in what smart people have to say.. I've thought a lot about this also & it was hard for me to give up on twitter, but we have to. I deleted my X account a long time ago & don't miss it a bit

Big difference on X with almost 80K followers I was throttled into oblivion Here at least I can be seen What good is a site that only allows views that match owner

Appreciate the second go. A big issue (not your fault) is that there ARE a lot of people (some I think who just miss being the center of the universe on Twitter) who have blamed people on the left (many from vulnerable populations) for opting for a platform that doesn't promote violence against them

Bsky is the end result of the Right-wing takeover of the mainstream media. They're the ones that pushed everyone away. They destroyed 60 Minutes, CBS, WaPost. What did you expect? Late Night talk shows, The View are under attack. Anyone can join Bsky. We're pro Democracy. They're not.

Very well explained - and yes, true. Still have yet to achieve critical mass. What incentives…?

Thanks for writing this, David. It really crystalized what I've seen on X and BlueSky over the past year or so. Keep up the good work. 👍

Yes. Absolutely. Not a single person told me to go back to econ 101, called me a trump supporter, or suggested that I was a Nazi. I cannot say the same about x or Reddit.

What you are saying is what we already knew- our media is an abject failure.

Well said. It's a shitty situation, but why are we liberals in the first place? Because liberalism works. Economic and political liberalism is the force that developed the modern world. Trump's screwing up the economy will lead people to rediscover liberalism, and Bluesky.

I mean, they're nice for those of us who are interested in reading! So TY.

A stunningly bad take, followed by a stubborn unwillingness to acknowledge the mistake, followed by a wordy but unpersuasive attempt to plaster over the damage. Not your best day on the internet, David.

Perhaps don't frame your opinions as fact? I would think that's obvious for any intelligent human.

Perfectly sensible and accurate take by you. But ppl love to pile on bc it's fun

I agree but still hoping with a bit more time we can change that.

Read it all. Still disagree. At a minimum- you have no real clue how it affects people’s vote.

And share leftists will find a way to argue about that because that’s just the nature. But maybe trying to stay rooted in experience rather than ideas would help keep it sane.

We should get off Bluesky and get in their faces. They're getting in our every day, but the National Mall remains completely empty of protesters. The Hungarians were more effective than we are. Is no one embarrassed by that? www.earthcam.com/usa/dc/washi...

That comment is weird in this situation

I think you have a valid criticism. But I think a lot of people may not want to have the fights that Twitter has evolved into. It is just a toxic environment. While I enjoy Bluesky, I think threads is most likely the closest thing left to old Twitter. Bluesky is a echo chamber.

I appreciate the clarification. Your full argument is pretty solid. The initial post sure got people fired up. I wish I could have joined the Davids Seattle summit!

David, nobody here cares what your actual thoughts are. They want to prse each individual word in the OP to find some avenue for a Gotcha. These are not introspective people, and your message of "we can be better" will never, ever be well received because these ppl don't believe in agency

💚

I left X when it became seemingly impossible to have an honest debate with the vast majority of users.

Thank you for your clarification.

I dunno. If I post something that requires mind-reading to unlock its context, maybe it's a little my fault when people aren't telepathic. Most of communication is shared context. Personally, I think it's a net positive that people attacked by the right have a place to gather and be attacked less.

Maybe read the room instead of defending your bruised ego. You said something idiotic and people rightfully pointed it out.

I think it’s actually a bit revealing. Left voices have always been underweighted by those with varied kinds of power. Present arrangement has exposed and exacerbated a long-existent trend.

I thought the original post was clear, but thanks for expanding the thought. As for what to do - maybe add a betting line 🤣

If I understand you correctly, you're saying that Bluesky has become an echo chamber of the hard left, the kind of people believe everybody to the right of Bernie is a goose-stepping book-burner, as much as X has become one of the hard right. I agree. What's the next step?

@volts.wtf I am following you from the Fediverse, but there's also RSS, or there was. We could work to rebuild that world. We could figure out how to make it easier for nontechnical folk to take back control.

Thanks for the clarification. I left X because it became a well of poison and a sounding board for its Nazi owner to pollute members minds. I often think back to David Bowie's interview with Jeremy Paxman in 1999, about where the internet will go. www.youtube.com/shorts/6M9ZQ...

the answer is "break X" through social engineering or some form of sabotage people will leave it, just like they have left other platforms, if the UX sucks hard enough, or if they're successfully driven off

Old X was a place for information exchange. Now, social media has turned into a giant peanut gallery where everyone rants and crowds out anything constructive anyone has to say.

It's not the end users responsibility to enrich a fascist just so you can still have "fun" on twitter.