Catherynne M. Valente

I gotta be honest…

I was willing to stick it out on #Twitter for all the reasons I’ve been talking about, but mainly not abandoning another online space to the Shrieking Eels…

But killing the API & all 3rd party apps may kill Twitter for me. The native app is fucking terrible, I’m not getting all kinds of notifications, the algorithm has barfed up my feed something fierce.

And I can’t stop thinking about all those apps & the people they employ/support who just lost everything for no reason.

Jan 31, 2023 at 3:49pmWeb
Show threaditsburnsieJan 31, 2023

@catvalente I left Twitter a while ago... and while at first I struggled with the decision - now I'm honestly so glad I did.

While Mastodon may not have the raw numbers of users that Twitter has - I find the whole model much more engaging and civil.

Show threadAphrodite (recharging)Jan 31, 2023

@catvalente

welp, the one shrieking eel gave away the ballgame when he slithered in with a sink.

talk about telegraphing his intentions. he was saying he’d rip out the sinks and sell them for a buck and he’s all but literally done that.

only thing my account is doing there is acting as a vatican mailbox in north korea but soon that too will be closed.

i hate that the town square is covered in bovine excrement, i’m happy this set of outsideish places is freer from that.

Show threadMonkeyholeJan 31, 2023
@catvalente I know the calculation is different for creators who rely on an online presence, but continuing to use twitter feels so gross to me. It's rewarding all the wrong behaviors. It's like giving a kid a candy bar after they pooped in the hallway
Show threadCatherynne M. ValenteJan 31, 2023
@monkeyhole I don’t like it either but…my kid likes to eat and all?
Show threadMonkeyholeJan 31, 2023
@catvalente "yes, you have to eat your green beans. But because of late-stage capitalism, I won't yell at you for grumbling and chomping them angrily."
Show threadSean Eric FaganJan 31, 2023
@catvalente I only use the web browser.
Show threadDuncanWatsonJan 31, 2023

@catvalente I used only the twitter web and app for years. But the recent twitter web is terrible just compared to Oct 2022. And I won't reinstall the app on my phone for any reason.

There is a lot missing from my mastodon experience. I do not get the same news familiarity, I have cut down on usage of social.

Show threadDuncanWatsonJan 31, 2023
@catvalente Also I find what was done with the API, and how it was done, reprehensible. But that word loses its impact when applied to Elon since it could apply to basically his whole existence and nearly every action he takes or has taken.
Show threadgeo21481Jan 31, 2023
@catvalente it’s why I waited for @tapbots to come out with a client and bought @ivory the day it was released.
Show threadUgh (“ugh”)Jan 31, 2023
@catvalente @briankrebs The death of Twitterrific is making the gradual transition easier for me. Silver lining to a shitty, shitty cloud.
Show threadFroteeJan 31, 2023
@catvalente I haven't used Twitter on my phone since they killed the API. I flat out refuse to use that burning dumpster fire of an official app, much as I might mourn the loss of some quality content by creators I admire.
I occasionally (every coue of days) take a peek on my pc, over tweetdeck, but that's it.
Show threadProxima CentauriJan 31, 2023

@catvalente The native client is fucking terrible in Mastodon too. But at the very least we don't need to use it!

Other clients are completely unhinged, they can do whatever they like and none can ban them in Mastodon.

I expect other clients to win out in Mastodon.

Show threadGary ParkerJan 31, 2023

@catvalente /me too

I was checking in once a week or so because Tweetbot sill made it easy to see the content *I* wanted to see, how I wanted to see it. Once that was taken away and I was left with only the standard web interface I was outta there

Show threadeigenman Jan 31, 2023
@catvalente Haven't been on Twatter for 3 weeks. Haven't missed it. It was an easy quit. It's just a drama site.
Show threadTamar YellinJan 31, 2023
@eigenman @catvalente I've been off for 2+ months now and there are very few things I miss. Mostly Oklahoma Depart of Wildlife and a few funny #lawtwitter people.
Show threadMegaZoneJan 31, 2023

@TamarYellin @eigenman @catvalente

Bird.makeup is great for that. Using it was my last step in cutting my Twitter usage.

Show threadTamar YellinJan 31, 2023
@megazone @eigenman @catvalente ooh thanks!
Show threadTamar YellinJan 31, 2023
@megazone @eigenman @catvalente Oh wow, I think this is what I was missing in my life. I just want to see the stuff, I don't even need to interact with it haha
Show threadMegaZoneJan 31, 2023

@TamarYellin @eigenman @catvalente Yeah, and if I feel compelled I can always go back and comment. But it makes me pause before doing so.

I used it enough that I joined their Patreon. I felt like I was making enough use of the service that I should chip in. 😉

Show threadChristopher O’RJan 31, 2023
@catvalente i left when Tweetbot got taken down. No interest in rewarding that type of treatment to the 3rd party devs with an app download. Went from a daily user for a decade+ to checking once a week (if that).
Show threadJohn A. UnderwoodJan 31, 2023

@catvalente I was done with Twitter the minute Talon quit working. I'm leaving the account so no one can have the name (not that I think there's any risk of that) or pretend to be me. Have some autoposting going on whenever I blog, but that's it. It's sad, I really enjoyed Twitter for a while. More than anything since LJ really.

Your essay a while back was truly amazing and wonderful, btw.

Show threadDayWenJan 31, 2023
@catvalente Twitter barf, you nailed it! Elon changed the algorithm, he’s app is pro-white, Maga and fosters election deniers. They show up on your timeline and you mention social justice or equal rights you’re in twitter jail.
Show threadSid  Jan 31, 2023
@catvalente couldn’t agree with you more… I’m still in there but I find myself spending ALOT more time on #Mastodon especially with some awesome third party apps like @ivory
Show threadMatěj Cepl 🇪🇺 🇨🇿 🇺🇦Jan 31, 2023
@catvalente Forced algorithmic feed did it to me.
Show threadVixyJan 31, 2023
@catvalente Hard same. I haven't used raw Twitter in YEARS, always third-party apps, to avoid ads and sponsored bullshit and so on. Now the only one that still works is Tweetdeck, presumably because Twitter owns it, but it's desktop only. (And I'm amazed it hasn't started including ads, but that's probably coming.) So no more Twitter on my phone at all.
Show threadBrian HawthorneJan 31, 2023
@catvalente Many people are finding they get more engagement here on Mastodon despite having lower follower counts. The Twitter algorithm is ensuring that nobody sees their posts.
Show threadLiam DennehyJan 31, 2023

@catvalente Space Karen tweeted out he had no idea who asked for or uses the info line on the originating client. The guy has zero understanding of his own platform.

For me it was a clear indicator of the trustworthiness of the originator. Seeing if it's a tweet management service or Twitter for Android it tells me a lot about who is saying what and why.

Show threadMegaZoneJan 31, 2023
@catvalente The more people who leave Twitter the less incentive there is for others to remain. As someone's circle shrinks it gives them reason to migrate with the herd.
Show threadAndrew BriscoeFeb 1, 2023
@catvalente I used Twitter every day for over a decade. Killing the apps was the last straw. Completely gone now and don’t miss it.
Show threadJuan SanmiguelFeb 1, 2023
@catvalente There is Add On for Chrome and Firefox called Tweak New Twitter. It still works, they adapted. It cuts the ads and gives a tab for Following and Retweets. It does help with the app sadly but because of it I turned of Retweets which makes my feed easier to read.
Show threadΩ 🌍 Gus PoseyFeb 1, 2023
@catvalente And yet, you're still on Twitter...
Show threadBill0004Feb 1, 2023
@catvalente @topposts this is precisely how I feel. Killing 3rd party apps with no warning and leaving users and developers hung out to dry was the breaking point for me. I’ve tried the native app and it’s a burning dumpster. Unusable. So I’m starting over, and I feel liberated by it.
Show threadgilripFeb 1, 2023
@catvalente This is exactly why I finally threw in the towel. With a lot of my favorite people having moved to Mastodon anyway, axing 3rd party apps was the final nail in my Twitter coffin.
Show threadRachael Que VargasFeb 1, 2023
@catvalente I had so many reasons to leave twitter and stuck it out, but…When he killed the API, he finally killed twitter for me. It's useless to me if I can't pick up exactly where I left off the day before and do it in 4 or more lists. I used to read every damn tweet in all my main lists every day. Hours of scrolling. Now, when I really miss it and go look, I'm done and out in 5 minutes. On a side note, happiness and productivity are both up 1000% since I left.