Social Media Lost It's Shine?

Seems that way to me, on this November 11 2024.  

For years the shine has been coming off social media, as algorithm changes meant you don't actually get to see posts of friends any more and the pushing of advertisements and disinfo increased.

Seen others on X saying they lost many 100s of followers after the US election, as the disinfo bots got turned off.   I don't have as many followers as they lost, but did loose a handful, but that makes no difference to me at all.  

I am still on Mastodon, BlueSky, X, Instagram and Facebook, but there came a point some time ago where posting anything just became a waste of effort. Seemed, may, be 2 people would see anything I posted on X or Facebook, but more often 0, as the post vanished into the timeline before anyone even noticed it.  BlueSky, Mastodon and Instagram have always been a why did I bother at all, and Mastodon doesn't have anything but the most trivial posts of others 99% of the time.  Posts I have no interest in engaging with. 

BlueSky seemed to originally be populated with old Twitter "thought leaders/head geeks" with a following of some kind.  They are now pushing starter packs with themselves as the must follow people.  Have to say though, I have yet to learn anything worthwhile uniquely on BlueSky. 

There is a lot of Over Sharing, and tend to see that as an American thing, like being loud, but most isn't interesting in the least. We all have our own "small happiness" , like a nice cup of coffee or warm raison toast with just the right amount of cinnamon, but if that is the only thing you have to post, I don't want to see it!  

Instagram  is now solely for seeing posts from our daughter or on our grandson. 

Twitter was once a more interesting place. For many of the early years I would write a post, then delete it without sending most of the time. Has been a way to connect with similar minded people. Or find out about events I am interested in. 

The paid blue tick scam has impacted X a lot, but as long as people and businesses, remain X only and post about events they are producing, it will remain useful.  

X has never a place to get any interaction with an offsite link to my art or a music post.  A post with such a link may have gotten a like, 💗, but no one ever left their time line to check something out, unless it was that one acquaintance.

Will probably still post about my art and music, but it is the making of it that remains my focus, not the promotion. 

One thing being on Social Media showed was which Americans supported the Felon Rapist, even if they didn't directly say it and just poo pooed Climate Change or some such issue over time betraying their RWNJ leaning, while even saying they don't want to discuss politics. Useful to keep in mind to avoid... 

I few years ago I thought Blogging was completely dead. but the changes to Social Media have revived it to a degree, even if I am the one that comes back and reads these posts.

Have to include the Vloggers too. There are so many 30 minute videos that should have been a half page blog post now.  YouTube is all about how long views watch, so the padding, drink cup off coffee now, to extend that makes for a poor experience a growing amount of the time. And the AI generated drivel is even worse. Many reviews are all just Astroturfing what ever the product is. 

Some want to be "real people" talking about what ever it is, but I don't find they add anything. 

UPDATE: Nov 15 2024

Musk had new T&C for X come into effect Nov 15, and that seemed to force a mass Exodus from X to BlueSky, and things have definitely picked up on BlueSky. But the whole "time line" thing speeding past is still so much worse than a forum with topics.  The whole character limit means posts are by design, just short passing comments. 

We can be found at ArtAndTechnology