One of the funny things – possibly the only funny thing – about trying out Threads earlier this year was watching the algorithms flail around trying to serve up posts from ‘relevant’ account.
ArchbishopOfBanterbury? No.
LadBible? No.
AngryBlackWoman? Just… no.
Part of the problem, for Threads, is that I don’t Instragram. I don’t use it, but still have 32 followers (up from 26 before I got Threads installed). Weird, ain’t it?
And so, the poor auld algorithm has to take a guess based on whatever un-banned cookies it can find on my iPhone (because there wasn’t an iPad app, and the desktop version came is as I left).
Not sure why it then decided to serve up content from AngryBlackWoman… still, artificial intelligence, hey?
The problem for me is that, while some commentators are decrying Twitter (X) for being a right-wing cesspit, it just means that Threads (and other places, I’m guessing) are left-wing cesspits.
Worse, they’re American left-wing cesspits.
Yes, I know you don’t like Trump, but there’s not much I can do about that. Nor your border issues. Nor abortion, gun control, or any number of things. If you wanted me to have an interest, you shouldn’t have declared independence. Go have a revolution or something. You’re good at regime changing.
A revelation
What it showed me, I’m afraid, is the utter pointless of social media these days. I say “these days”, it’s been on the slide for a while for many.
Once you skip past the few posts from your actual followers on Twitter, for example, it becomes adverts and promoted posts. Same with Facebook.
Then there is… Bluesky. Yes, I finally got my invitation code! Five months after I expressed an interest… and four months after I got fed up waiting.
And I only know one person there.
Where is everyone hanging out these days? Or have you all got lives now?
So perhaps this is a plan of action for 2024; tidy up the social media profiles, with a view to junking them?
If Muskie decides to follow through on his threat to change everyone to use Twitter, I’m off. Actually, I wish he’d make up his mind on that one, then we can all jump ship.
Then, perhaps, I can get back to blogging. I miss it. I need to be a bit more disciplined (my AI post has been kicking around in my head for months now) but it’s my space, and I ought to do more here. Or even go out and use that expensive camera I bought.
It’s an idea.