I recall a parent of a child murdered in Sandy Hook said words to the effect that the web and internet are humanity without filters, the social norms that keep us polite here in reality. Websites try to maintain order with varying levels of mediocrity, but haters gotta hate, amirite?
But as bad as things are, they're about to get a whole lot worse for anyone who doesn't conform to an incredibly narrow slice of humanity. That's because the tech-bro in charge of one of the biggest social sites on the planet has decided that freedom of speech is more important than unalienable rights like life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And what's more, he blamed a woman for pursuing restrictions in the first place.
There's so much wrong with this, but it's not exactly a surprise. Bottom-line, he's not the first billionaire tech-bro to bend over and take one for the shareholders and won't be the last. Because in terms he'd understand best, it's better to traumatise and destroy the lives of non-billionaire strangers than be placed in the crosshairs of the tantruming man-child currently in the big chair.
As worthless a protest as it is, I'm still killing my account with the social site. And I don't even care my images and scribblings have been used to train an Artificial Idiot system, or that publishers like potential authors to have a built-in following.
I spend hardly any time on socials anyway, so this is a doubly-useless line in the sand. Mainly because my attempts at self-marketing tend to come across as clunky at best, insincere at worst. I'd rather spend time on what I'm good at: editing the hell out of different stories to find that sweet spot between readability and fuck it I'm sick of looking at this.
So yeah. Whatever. There it is.
P.S., If you absolutely want to connect with me on socials, you can do so here: ljsinclair on bluesky
P.P.S., I'm really not expecting a flood of followers.
P.P.P.S., No, scratch that, I'm not expecting a flood of genuine, provably human followers.