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content/posts/im-back-on-mastodon.md

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+---
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+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.