'Telling academics they can achieve career success by using today’s algorithmic-driven platforms is like telling Millennials they could afford to buy a house by eating less avocado on toast. It’s a cruel lie because social media is a shit way to share your work now.' The Thesis Whisperer

https://thesiswhisperer.com/2023/07/10/academicenshittification/

During the month of December, I stopped using twitter for pretty obvious reasons. The Curb 's account still exists (maybe in the hope that he sells it off for $5 and someone with half a brain takes over), but it's not in use.

During the month of December, the visitors to The Curb dropped by 46%. I knew that Twitter was a huge part of the readership, but I didn't truly expect it to be *that* much. I know that the stat's for January are going to be skewed because of the Best Aussie films list, which is always the biggest piece on the site.

I don't want to say that a 46% drop doesn't bother me, because gosh, it really does, but I'm also not seeing any real alternative. I'm not going back to twitter, but I will really need to find *something else* than Facebook for the site. I know that Instagram and tiktok are 'go to' platforms, but they're also not link friendly. I don't really want to do a substack or a medium account because that's just doubling up work and, again, doesn't really drive people to the site.

At times like this, I'm glad that the site isn't driven by funding or money, because if that were the case it'd be out the window already. But I do need to move into 'different' areas to reach audiences. Reddit is a possibility given how many people are on there, but it's also Reddit.

Anyhow, this is just me voicing the regular frustration that small sites are tied to social media platforms to gain audiences attention. Joy!

Arundhati Roy - “To Love”

To love.
To be loved.
To never forget your
own insignificance.
To never get used to the
unspeakable violence and the
vulgar disparity of life around you.
To seek joy in the saddest places.
To pursue beauty to its lair.
To never simplify what is
complicated or complicate
what is simple.
To respect strength, never power.
Above all, to watch.
To try and understand.
To never look away.
And never,
never to forget.
― Arundhati Roy, The Cost of Living (1999)

RT @[email protected]

President @[email protected]'s @[email protected] snub marks a ‘step back’ for the global trading system

https://bit.ly/3HttdzV

🐦🔗: https://twitter.com/bbaschuk/status/1602279011283079168

RT @UCLLaws
🌲 The Retained EU Law Bill has the potential to initiate huge change for the UK's legal systems. Join the @UCLlaw_env seminar on 18 January, where two expert panels will explore its environmental implications.

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https://www.ucl.ac.uk/laws/events/2023/jan/hybrid-retained-eu-law-and-environment