Another quick note on social media, specifically Twitter

In the past month, I’ve basically stopped using my Twitter account (@APHowell). Without rehashing social media drama, capitalism, and right wing actors, suffice to say that I have developed a severe aversion to participating in what Twitter has become. (This should by no means be seen as a full-throated endorsement of what it was, or a judgment on communities who continue to use a valuable tool for organizing, outreach, and information sharing.)

At this point, my Mastodon account (wandering.shop/@aphowell) has become the closest thing I have to a Twitter replacement. (Similar follows/followers, similar content from me—except I post puppy pictures on Mastodon.) I send my WordPress posts to Twitter, but that’s it at this point; even if there is a major about-face at Twitter, I don’t imagine I will use it heavily again.

It’s also quite possible that my Twitter account will be suspended. My bio includes a reference to my Mastodon account; such links are a violation of the latest iterations of Twitter’s Safety and Cybercrime Rules and Policies. (Will that policy still be in place tomorrow? Who can say?) I am disinclined to edit my bio or old tweets to play an ongoing game of policy whack-a-mole in the hope of keeping an account I no longer use.