I don't like the modern internet as a whole. I don't like the way people do social media. And I especially don't like that there seems to be no escape from it other than to not be online. Or in other words, to let the scum of the web win.

I've stopped using Facebook in 2019. This decision came after realizing the futility of it. I still have my account so I can sell things on Facebook Market, or see links that people send me. I also left Instagram somewhere in 2016 or 2017. Simply because the unrealistic world presented to me on it was too terrible to tolerate. That, and ads. I've stopped using Twitter for the most part in 2015, and stopped paying attention to it in 2022 because their algorithms keep ignoring my posts.

In the old days I used to be on ICQ and MSN, I also had a Yahoo Messenger account on the side. On it I had some 100 or so friends. I say friends but about half of them I never met, the other half I went to school with. We just chatted about stuff, shared homework. It was casual and fun. And if someone was too annoying I'd just delete that one person. Simple, manageable and barely an inconvenience. When the internet got a little better we used these platforms to organize, and played games like Continuum, Counterstrike and Delta Force together. These programs allowed us to find new friends and have random conversations from time to time and it was kinda nice. It mostly involved just the people I wanted. No outside opinions, trolls and scams. No ads, no real requirements. No social pressure, and certainly no divisive bickering over things we didn't understand or care about.

Then I found IRC, which was more open and it allowed for a lot more interaction with random people. It was kinda nice because it remained relatively small scale. You joined a chatroom where likeminded people would gather. Some chatrooms had 20 people in it, if that. Others had hundreds or thousands. Usually a core group would form and other people would wander in. If someone turned out to be a nuisance an operator would deal with it. Simple, effective and fun.

These days I'm on Mastodon. Sometimes... And I truly don't care for it. There are a few people I follow that provide regular fun or something of value. That is, if I happen to see their posts. Because there is no algorithm helping me discover anything, and those I follow are usually in different timezones. But overall, the Fediverse as a whole is very much akin to Twitter. A hellscape full of wankers, trolls, morons and other scoundrels that should just shut the hell up. Yes, that probably includes you. No offense though, it's just my uninformed opinion of the shallow interactions we might have. Or a post I might have seen from you. Do better if that opinion bothers you, I'm trying to be better too.

I'm mostly apathetic towards the internet, or the world, at large. This came about in recent years. As a result I avoid using Mastodon and similar services as much as possible. Partly because I forget to use it. But mostly because it's just not fun anymore. Even though I like to engage with people from time to time. I think it's worthwhile to have a chat and learn something, or listen to what they have to say. Maybe even have an intelligent discussion. But since those encounters are so rare I'm usually not even trying anymore.

I'm not going to pretend to be nice all the time. I can certainly be a fool on social media. And so is almost everyone else, at least some of the time. Sometimes I scroll back through my timeline and delete angry rants from frustrations I've had. Usually when something doesn't go the way I want or expect in my life. Pointless angry rants nobody should care about. I then self-reflect for a moment and often delete those a few hours or days later.

I can't even begin to imagine the amount of unreasonable or rude people I've encountered in the 2 or 3 years that I've been on Mastodon. My mute list is long and ever expanding. My keyword filters are strict and immense. More and more it becomes apparent that most people on social media do not deserve the free speech that is given them. Some of those fools really should think twice before they post anything. And if they can't, or won't, they should be moderated and get a kick in the shins from time to time. All this freedom of speech is nice but if no-one thinks about what they're saying, or has zero self-reflection, it's just slob with zero entertainment value or any value at all. Often resulting in frustration for everyone involved.

The kind of moderation that exists on social media these days leaves no room for real discussion, reasoning or free speech. All it does is enable those who are the loudest. It stifles opinions they do not agree with. It inhibits reasonable discussion and prevents people from expression themselves, or to learn from one another. That's not free speech, that's bullying.

The internet used to be so much better and more fun. Why does the world at large insist on ruining it?