From 3541926925fa523a11139b0bdbe411591eef5ad5 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Sam Al-Sapti Date: Sun, 16 Jul 2023 20:57:02 +0200 Subject: [PATCH] Add blog post --- archetypes/default.md | 3 +- archetypes/posts.md | 4 +- content/posts/im-back-on-mastodon.md | 57 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 3 files changed, 60 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-) create mode 100644 content/posts/im-back-on-mastodon.md diff --git a/archetypes/default.md b/archetypes/default.md index 00e77bd..4fff494 100644 --- a/archetypes/default.md +++ b/archetypes/default.md @@ -1,6 +1,5 @@ --- -title: "{{ replace .Name "-" " " | title }}" +title: {{ replace .Name "-" " " | title }} date: {{ .Date }} -draft: true --- diff --git a/archetypes/posts.md b/archetypes/posts.md index fb04b7d..a863401 100644 --- a/archetypes/posts.md +++ b/archetypes/posts.md @@ -1,8 +1,8 @@ --- draft: true date: {{ .Date }} -title: "{{ replace .Name "-" " " | title }}" -description: "" +title: {{ replace .Name "-" " " | title }} +description: authors: [] tags: [] series: [] diff --git a/content/posts/im-back-on-mastodon.md b/content/posts/im-back-on-mastodon.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..431bbef --- /dev/null +++ b/content/posts/im-back-on-mastodon.md @@ -0,0 +1,57 @@ +--- +draft: false +date: 2023-07-16T16:52:06+02:00 +title: I'm Back on Mastodon +description: In this blog post I describe why I decided to get back on Mastodon. +authors: ['Sam Al-Sapti'] +tags: ['decentralization', 'privacy', 'fediverse', 'social media'] +series: [] +--- + +May 1, 2023 marked one year since I deleted my Facebook account. That was the +last account I had on the Big Tech social media platforms that all compete for +our attention and behavioral data (technically I'm still on LinkedIn, although +I rarely use it). How has it been? To say it mildly, liberating. + +Last summer, after reading *Digital Minimalism* by Cal Newport (fantastic book +by the way, you should give it a read if you haven't), I also deleted my +Mastodon account. At the time, I thought to myself that I really only used it +as I used to use Facebook, wasting my time, and I probably did. Thinking back, +I did really need a break from social media in general in order to get my mind +back on track, and I'm glad I made that decision. I was still too used to +Facebook and the likes. After deleting everything, I used the extra time I +suddenly had to focus on life and finish my bachelor's degree. Now a year +later, I decided to join the Fediverse again, so I created a new [Mastodon +account](https://social.data.coop/@sam). I did so for a couple of reasons. + +The primary reason is that I felt a bit too disconnected from the online world, +and since my career and interests are in IT, that didn't work for me. It is +true that the best form of social interaction is outside the screen. But in the +modern world we live in, technology can add substantial value to your life, +**but only if you use it properly**. The book *Digital Minimalism* taught me +what "properly" means (again, read it). By not being on any form of social +media, I wasn't able to keep track of what the latest trends are and what +people are talking about at the moment (in general but mostly regarding IT). +But by using technology in a way where it enhances my life, instead of the +opposite where the technology uses me, I can actually get some value from it. +Although I'm technically back on social media, I believe I have the tools and +the knowledge necessary for maintaining a healthy relationship with social +media and my usage of it. For this reason, I've also decided that I won't ever +support the attention seeking social media platforms, that is social media +owned by Big Tech. Because let's face it, we can't really have a healthy +relationship with a social media platform if it keeps trying with all its power +to get us hooked on it and get us sucked into its reality, it's simply not +possible. + +This leads me to my second reason. In order to support the world-wide migration +to decentralized alternatives to Big Tech, I need to be on there myself. That's +the best way to show my support for the Fediverse. Looking at the recent +conflicts with Big Tech platforms, such as the recent changes in the Reddit API +and privacy issues on other platforms, this is the best time to do so. I want +to be a bigger part of that movement. Right now is the time where most people +are starting to realize, that big centralized platforms maybe aren't the best +option out there, and that decentralization is the better way. + +So, to summarize, did I regret leaving Mastodon? No, I didn't. But I'm glad +that I'm back in the Fediverse, and I'll continue to support the move towards +decentralized platforms. I truly believe that this is the right path forward.