Stop thinking of Twitter, TikTok, IG, (et al) as social media sites.
They are Content Refineries.
Like processed food manufacturers they take user content & extract the most addicting/engaging content. Brains eat it up but in an unhealthy “devour the whole bag of chips” way.
They make hyper-processed social media junk food.
Mastodon is more like a potluck. We're all bringing dishes. It's a mess. Kids are running all over. But we are, at least, real people sharing real things.
1980 Computers are for nerds
1990 Computers are for everyone
1995 The internet is for nerds
2005 The internet is for everyone
2005 Smartphones are for nerds
2015 Smartphones are for everyone
2006 Twittr is for nerds
2016 Twitter is for everyone
2022 Mastodon is for nerds
Just put my kid on a flight to St. Paul.
Checked she had her travel stuff:
* Water bottle
* Travel pillow
* Hidden airtag in case feds steal her phone so I can find her
* Charm bracelet I made w/my tel # so that she can throw it to someone in case she is getting grabbed by ICE
So, the 2026 basics
If you are #Seattle based and like moderately challenging puzzles, scavenger hunts, and walking, there is a fun annual event (The Gumshoe Walk) that is still going on. Totally fun IMO. https://dothegumshoe.org
Stop thinking of Twitter, TikTok, IG, (et al) as social media sites.
They are Content Refineries.
Like processed food manufacturers they take user content & extract the most addicting/engaging content. Brains eat it up but in an unhealthy “devour the whole bag of chips” way.
They make hyper-processed social media junk food.
Mastodon is more like a potluck. We're all bringing dishes. It's a mess. Kids are running all over. But we are, at least, real people sharing real things.
1980 Computers are for nerds
1990 Computers are for everyone
1995 The internet is for nerds
2005 The internet is for everyone
2005 Smartphones are for nerds
2015 Smartphones are for everyone
2006 Twittr is for nerds
2016 Twitter is for everyone
2022 Mastodon is for nerds
Ethan J. A. Schoonover