Dan Gillmor

When I stopped being active at Twitter, I had more than 45,000 followers and a moderate amount of engagement (replies, retweets, etc.).

I have a third fewer followers here, and at least 10 times the genuine engagement. Sure, some bots, but most of it is genuine -- and useful.

I no longer see what (some) people I respect are saying publicly. I miss their thoughts, and wish they'd recognize that by staying active there they are supporting a dangerous extremist.

They feel trapped. They're not.

Aug 15, 2024 at 3:27pmWeb
Show threadLee Fife - old accountAug 15, 2024
@dangillmor the thing about the ones who remain in elon's fascist playground is that I used to respect some of them. And that respect diminishes every day that they prop up the Nazis ...
Show threadcharvakaAug 15, 2024

@dangillmor I had over 10,000 followers there, I have fewer than 1,000 here. I have more engagement AND fewer shouting matches here.

The people who are still active on #Xitter know that they are enabling the fascist-curious #oligarch who is rooting for civil war to end democracy. They just don't mind that as much as they are afraid of losing their large follower counts. They are #complicit.

Show threadBudgegeria 🦜Aug 16, 2024
@charvaka @dangillmor What they also do is sharing Harris and Walz content that fascists want to see disappear on Twitter.
Show threadFrancois HeinderyckxAug 15, 2024
@dangillmor
At this point, when I see someone's byline or bio mention a presence on Twitter/X, it downgrades that person’s credibility to critical levels. It screams “my craving for attention outweighs my sense of ethics.” Not the strongest platform for one’s credibility!
Show threadLexiGirlAug 15, 2024
@fheinderyckx @dangillmor I feel exactly the same. Sometimes I see a screenshot of someone’s tweet and whilst I find myself agreeing with their point, the fact that they made it on twitter is like, minus 10 points….
Show threadLexiGirlAug 16, 2024
@fheinderyckx @dangillmor perfect example….
Show threadLuna Dragofelis ΘΔ 🏳️‍⚧️Sep 1, 2024
@fheinderyckx @dangillmor Honestly, my craving for attention is better satisfied on fedi than Twitter (even pre-Elon), because when I post something here, those of my followers that are online at the same time *will* see it, and often reply, boost or at least fav it, instead of me screaming into the void and having to hope that the black box algorithm shows it to my followers at all.
Show threadFrancesco P Lovergine Aug 15, 2024

@dangillmor
The FOMO effect is exactly the trick X/Twitter and other socials use to create their walled not-so-gardens. Escaping from them is an ethical duty.

https://lovergine.com/the-shattered-internet.html

The shattered Internet — frankie-tales

Show threadsnowbatAug 15, 2024
@dangillmor your Twitter account is 17 years old though.. how many of those 45,000 accounts are still in regular use?
Show threaddanielAug 15, 2024
@dangillmor I had Twitter for probably three years prior to the launch of mastodon. By the third year, without even posting anything mind you, I had 853 followers all of whom were bots. It's a minefield of bots and elongated muskrat is doing nothing about it because he's making money from it.
Show threadRyan LounsburyAug 15, 2024

@dangillmor In some ways I appreciate the smaller circle. My feed is more manageable and I actually feel seen with some people I've connected to that I wouldn't have on Twitter.

Mastodon isn't perfect but it is the only social platform that aligns with the open source and democratized internet I feel we should have.

Show threadAlex WildAug 15, 2024
@dangillmor This has been my experience as well. 30K Twitter followers to 7K here, but more engagement than before.
Show threadsleepyAug 15, 2024
@dangillmor The problem is that once it catches on more the bots will become a huge problem here as well, and one that is harder to reckon with sadly.
Show threadRodneyPetersonTalentAgencyAug 15, 2024

@sleepy @dangillmor

They’re very quickly deleted, many I’m sure by an automated process.

Show threadMark BurtonAug 15, 2024
@dangillmor Ditto. Not so many followers but a similar ratio and I do miss seeing some things shared. However, we can't use a fascist racist's platform.
Show threadDjembro, RO, supports 🇺🇦🇬🇪Aug 15, 2024
@dangillmor
I really appreciate the algorithm-free environment of Mastodon. Or maybe I should say I’m the algorithm. What I see is what I want, no more, no less. And it sure isn’t hard to connect with thoughtful folks.
Show threadKimberleyAug 15, 2024
@dangillmor Hear, hear. This is preferable to strengthening the myriad hands of danger, ever-present in centralized social media platforms.
Show threadTC Won't Give In To LiesAug 15, 2024

@dangillmor
💯 I left Twitter the day Musk closed the del.

I just don't understand how any ethical people (and journalists in particular) remain on Twitter, giving Musk credibility and content.

We must rebuild our social networks in safer spaces. The sooner we start, the sooner we finish.

Show thread≡ʀʀ🇵🇱Aug 15, 2024
@dangillmor i try to write on both by publishing screenshots and attaching links.
Show threadJayme ZinnAug 15, 2024
@dangillmor free speech is only free when we don't allow some people to express themselves
Show threadAviva GaryAug 15, 2024

@dangillmor They are "trapped" by money 🤑

In this world a huge engagement engine (like Twitter once was) is the goose who laid the golden egg

Problem is someone took that goose for thanksgiving and...

But! All the people see there is it is still a way to make money and so they will stay for this promise

But the cake is a lie...

(I only still keep my account there so some Nazi doesn't coopt my stuff)

Show threadDavid Palk#RejoinEU 💖🇪🇺🕊🌈Aug 15, 2024
@dangillmor agreeing 100%
Show threadRaymond RussellAug 15, 2024
@dangillmor
Listening to Lewis Goodall and Jon Sopel on the lastest Newsagents podcast and the subject was should we leave Twitter.
I respect some of the honesty they expressed about why they are still on Twitter and the introspection but I am not buying their conclusion that they will stay on, using it less and mostly to promote their platform as a reliable news source amongst the sewage.
Show threadWokebloke for DemocracyAug 15, 2024
@dangillmor
I found the same thing with engagement here on Mastodon. Glad you're here.
Show threadRaven667Aug 15, 2024
@dangillmor I've found that with the bridges for Bluesky and Threads that most of the people who used to be on Twitter are available on Mastodon, it's the people who are _only_ on Twitter that are missed, but that's a minority of those I followed at this point. I mostly use microblogging as a news aggregator, so between who is available here and with an RSS bridge I'm pretty much set.
Show threadSamiAug 15, 2024

@dangillmor

Hi Dan,

I only hooked up with Mastodon today. Still trying to get to grips with it all. New stuff always difficult when you are in your 70's. Read your piece on leaving Twitter and the danger Musk poses at the moment in the USA, by getting into bed with the monster that is Trump,

Best Regards,
Sami.

Show thread[email protected]Aug 15, 2024
@Sami1958 Welcome :-)
I’m happy to be your first follower from a different instance. That means that your posts will be visible to me, because I’m following you, and to other people on my instance in this instances’ global feed.
I removed Dan’s name to avoid spamming him with my reply.
I hope you’ll enjoy this new network!
Here’s a link to one of the many guides to it:
https://fedi.tips/
Fedi.Tips – An Unofficial Guide to Mastodon and the Fediverse

An unofficial guide to using Mastodon and the Fediverse

Show threadJ   Aug 15, 2024
@dangillmor Most of them are still there because they want to be. It's sad, but that's the reality. I left several good friends behind because they simply won't let go.
Show thread🇺🇸 🇺🇦 🇮🇱 🐧 🥦Aug 15, 2024

@dangillmor

There are still so many people on X who will not leave for the reasons you mentioned.

I wish they could see this.

Show threadenoch_exe_incAug 15, 2024
@dangillmor By the time I was banned from Twitter, I had roughly 200 followers—and *none* of the engagement of this Mastodon account. If Twitter really was a town square, then it was that of the City from #Blame! except even more impossibly inhospitable.
Show threadSpaceLifeFormAug 15, 2024

@dangillmor

It is the inertia problem. They are scared to leave.

They should not be scared. They will get more love here than they know.

Show threadRodneyPetersonTalentAgencyAug 15, 2024

@dangillmor

You have roughly 80% of the number of followers you had before. Likely more than 100% more if you don’t count all the fake profiles you likely had following you there.

Show threadˈdälfən™🐬 💥 🌊Aug 15, 2024
@dangillmor
I have about 1/9 of the followers here and it’s so much better.
Show threadKofi Loves Efia Aug 16, 2024
@dangillmor Twitter is a Nazi bar. It's instructive to see who doesn't care as long as being a part of a Nazi bar gives them "influence with the discourse"
Show threadcrobiAug 16, 2024
@dangillmor it took me coming back from two weeks in the woods camping to realize there's really nothing left there and everything is now feeding ad revenue to a bigoted billionaire. I will have to find my friends again but it's also a chance to make new ones too along the way!
Show threadPNW DebAug 16, 2024
@dangillmor I’m so glad you are here.
Show threadJay 🇺🇦Aug 16, 2024

@dangillmor

Exactly. If you post on Fashtwitter or buy a TeSSla in 2024, you cannot claim ignorance anymore.

Show threadMatthias BürcherAug 17, 2024
@dangillmor @peter I have 5 times less users and much less engagement now, because we are a kind in a bubble. I do not regret leaving twitter, but I regret that public spaces apparently are not possible.
Show threadMerry ChristmasAug 28, 2024

@dangillmor

I agree it seems so many good people I followed on Twitter have come here for a few minutes and gone back to their thousands of Followers, and I think that is sad.
Anyway, this little Remain/Labour voter from Leicester has left Toxic Twitter, I am now following you, any chance of a Follow back?

Show threadKevin Karhan Sep 1, 2024

@dangillmor nodds in agreement

Noone is forced to use #Shitter, and continuing to do so is a #choice!