Prior to the platform’s buyout, I had a Twitter/X account since 2008 (nearly from the start!). Almost two years since Elon Musk bought it, it’s been long enough to make a judgement on the platform’s new direction. This post details why I feel it’s time to move on to bluer skies, and shares some practical tips on how to do so.

Why now? #

I’ll preface this by saying It isn’t my intention to write a politically-oriented post. But I feel that regardless of your political sensibilities, the new owner’s recent behaviour towards his own daughter is blatantly unacceptable¹. There is a long pattern of such detestable behaviour, and it appears to be getting worse over time with the US election coming up.

I recognise that, for some, it might feel incredibly difficult to leave Twitter/X. But I’m hoping to share some tips and advice that might make the choice easier for you. And to encourage you that it is possible - I had a long-standing account, and originally found the prospect daunting, but months later, I genuinely don’t miss it. Although I am quite annoyed that the platform went so downhill so quickly.

Tips for leaving #

The hardest part of quitting Twitter/X, for me, was the feeling that I was going to “miss out” on things happening in my communities. This is of course my own anecdotal experience, but after leaving I made an effort to be more deliberate about my social groups. In particular, I joined some smaller social groups on Telegram (as well as some more focused, tech-oriented channels), and it’s been much more enjoyable for me. It’s very likely that your existing friendship groups on Twitter/X know about these spaces - you could ask around. Or you could even make your own! Just remember that spaces need to be moderated to remain positive, safe, and inclusive.

It’s also a useful time to consider why you use social media in the first place. It’s likely that what you’re looking for exists, in a better form, elsewhere. Since Twitter/X imploded many other options popped up (and I list some options in the next section), giving you plenty of things to try.

I would caution against getting too attached to big numbers on your profile - consider if they really, actually bring you anything valuable. And remember that the culture on the platform now trends towards being “fickle” - large numbers of people watching you there are not necessarily a good thing. It’s possible that the benefit to your self-confidence is enough that you don’t want to go “cold turkey”, but you could still attempt to bring your followers over to other platforms, especially if they value your opinions.

A final difficult aspect of leaving was I felt like I was “losing” over a decade of posts that I’d made on the platform. To help with this, I followed a guide to download an archive of my data², and store it somewhere safe. I can honestly say that I’ve never opened this archive up since downloading it, but knowing it’s there helps somehow.

Why I like Bluesky #

After the buyout, I joined several different platforms, including Cohost, Mastodon, Threads, and Bluesky. After a while of using each of them, I decided that I like Bluesky the most, with Mastodon a close second.

Bluesky has a strong technical foundation in ATProto³, and a good product roadmap⁴ - I get the impression that they know what their users want, and they’re taking the time to build it properly. The team is run very lean, which is a great way stay agile, and forces them to prioritise features. The culture in Bluesky so far has been open, queer-friendly, and manages (so far) to avoid the worst of the baseless “callouts” that plague Twitter/X.

I do have a couple of concerns about monetisation (including the scourge of targeted advertising on the internet), and about the technical feasibility of “private content” on the network, but the team has so far proven that they can tackle difficult problems and come up with considered solutions.

It likely won’t last forever, but I’m certainly enjoying my time there now. If you’d like to follow me, you’re very welcome to do so here: @lopcode.com 🧡.