Mastodawn

A couple of weeks ago a woman who’d followed me on Instagram for 10 years happened to be in town and came to pay me a visit. We had written back and forth over the years and sent each other gifts in the mail. She even began making pottery herself, she says inspired by me. Leaving IG after twelve years was no simple, easy thing. Meeting her made me remember the positive side of social media—it’s potential to connect like-minded, kindred souls who never would otherwise have met.

@potterybyosa 🥰

int%rmitt]nt sig^al. ...~!...)4d ago

@potterybyosa
so verrrrry nice

@potterybyosa Yes! This is the internet I love and still support. These types of sharing connections are so valuable to being human.

Forest Fern 4d ago

@potterybyosa I love this so much.

@potterybyosa woow you are both amazing. Im advocating for trans refugees in sudan, we are suffering and struggling to survive. Pls help us by sharing our story on the gofundme link so more people can hear our voices and support us.
#Transrefugees #translifesmatter #queers #lgbtqia #loveislove #sudan

Dave Volek 4d ago

Social media had so much potential to connect people. But no longer.

Pottery by Osa 3d ago

@davevolek I’ve met a couple ppl from Mastodon IRL. I’ve only been on here for a year. Let’s see what the next decade holds.

Dave Volek 3d ago

@potterybyosa
From 2017 to 2019, I was on a forum called "Writerbeat". All sorts of characters exchanging different views. But I built up relationships with about 10 of them. We haven't met IRL, but if we did, it would be like old friends.

Writerbeat was able to build a community, which I am not seeing in all other social media. Unfortunately, the business matrix was not there, and it shut down.

I moved to G+, then Medium. I joined Mastodon in 2023.

@potterybyosa 🫂

WhichOne'sPink 🇫🇮3d ago

@potterybyosa This is cool af.

Looking for explanations…3d ago

I met an old school acquaintance’s cousin on FB. The old acquaintance went down a nasty rabbit hole, but cousin & I are friends & met up once when Partner & I were on a road trip up that way. The 4 of us got on so well. She’s a former art teacher. I’ve taken up painting.

Met another woman here & when I discovered that she lives in my city, tentatively suggested we meet up. She’s like the wiser older sister I never had. And the 4 of us also get on well!

Claudius Link 3d ago

@potterybyosa
😁💜

keeps vis.social running 3d ago

@potterybyosa Love this so much!

@potterybyosa I've met a few people IRL in older days, that I got to know from .... well, it was before Social Media, but message boards/forums.

It is (was) the saving grace of the internet for me, that it can bring like-minded people together from around the globe. Even if you need a lot more filter and troll-defence these days.
Especially as somebody that have difficulty in creating social contacts in real life.

Guy on the run 3d ago

Beautiful story! The meetup just had to happen.

Has she joined you here in the Fediverse since your departure from IG? How about here connections?

Pottery by Osa 3d ago

@philleu you know, only a couple of my IG followers migrated with me to the Fedi but even they don’t use the Fedi actively. It’s surprising to me how unpopular this platform is compared to the corporate varieties.

I actually have met a couple of ppl from Mastodon IRL. One gave me two fruit trees, another came by to pick up an ollla he’d purchased and then came back for plant starts that I had to share. Anonymity in the Fedi can stymie personal connection. Also the lack of DMs.

Guy on the run 3d ago

@potterybyosa
I wouldn't really call it unpopular, but more unknown. No ads. No banners. No popups. No influencers...no such luck. Maybe one day, they will still discover our hideout.

It's also very true what you mentioned about the lack of communication. This crowd is very much into privacy. Just have a look at this recent survey...

https://icosahedron.website/@halcy/116646295603847217

halcy :icosahedron: (@[email protected])

okay so what search engine DO you use, right now, by default, in your browser? [ ] Google [ ] DDG [ ] Kagi [ ] Other

Icosahedron

Pottery by Osa 3d ago

@philleu I mean that everyone I’ve tried to introduce to the Fedi, from artist peers to IG followers, haven’t really latched on. I’ve had a few friends start accounts and then abandon them and go back to Meta. I can sort of understand why but I personally hit my wall with those platforms and am willing to adapt to something new (albeit retro.)

Natuurlijk Verwonderen 3d ago

I've had the same experience. I've made a friend on insta because of our mutual creative interests, learning from each other. Sending gifts and eventually meeting. Such potential social media has indeed. Hopefully things will turn around some day, focusing solely on what social media started out as. Keeping in touch with friends, sharing and meeting new ones, in a safe way without all the craziness and madness.

Amy Maybe 11h ago

@potterybyosa 🥰