This is just a quick note to say that I no longer post on X, formerly known as Twitter, either from my personal account or WayToJapan account. I have also removed Twitter from the list of share buttons you find at the bottom of each post.
Since Elon Musk bought Twitter in 2022, he has weakened the platform’s moderation and safeguarding features, turned the blue tick scheme, which previously identified verified accounts of public figures and institutions, into a paid subscription programme, reinstated a bunch of previously suspended accounts belonging to far-right demagogues, and even amplified their voice by retweeting them.
These changes prompted me to look for an alternative social media platform, initially settling on Mastodon and, ten months later, invited onto Bluesky. I continued using X/Twitter though, albeit less obsessively, to follow users I had come to know as good sources of information and to interact with mutual follows.
Then came the riots.
The rioters went on a rampage through towns and cities (mostly) in England, shouting anti-immigration and Islamophobic slogans, even though the suspect of the murders that triggered the violence was born in the UK to a Christian family. The disinformation that triggered the unrest was spread by far-right voices on X/Twitter, and the owner of the site did nothing to stop the incitement but instead joined in. When criticised, Musk doubled back, attacking the UK Prime Minister and retweeting more fake news.
This was the last straw for many X-Twitter users in the UK. And for me. The so-called X-odus the riots and Musk’s behaviour prompted has caused the number of UK-based users on Bluesky to suddenly shoot up, and the place feels much more lively. I don’t know if/how long this will last, but it seems like a good time to move.
Oh hello Britain 😳
That blue line is activity in the UK spiking past all of the other countries on Bluesky right now.
Welcome, and invite a friend to join us! bsky.app/download
— Bluesky (@bsky.app) Aug 14, 2024 at 21:48
So I have closed my business account for WayToJapan Translations, and my personal one is no longer accessed, save for odd posts to encourage other users to try Bluesky. You will find me on Bluesky (and more sporadically on Mastodon) posting links to news articles, YouTube videos and podcast episodes on climate change, energy transition, sustainability and (sometimes) translation.
You can find me on:
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/yunod.bsky.social https://bsky.app/profile/yunod.sustainabletranslator.com
Mastodon: https://mastodon.scot/@yunod
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yunodinnie/
Update 23 Nov 2024: Bluesky URL updated following switch to own-domain user name