Recently on social media I learned of an apropos Scottish word that I definitely must use in my next Other Worldly novel: dumfungled. Of course diabolical spellcheck doesn’t like it. But I do, so I added it to my online dictionary to avoid the unrelenting annoyance of having it flagged by computer programmers who aren’t grammarians and are decidedly lacking in any kind of imagination.
Dumfungled means mentally and physically worn out. Add emotionally to that, and I’ve got the whole trifecta of a shitstorm. Which is why I don’t need to be further exhausted by spellcheck or the highly annoying autocorrect on my new iPhone (yes, adapting to it is driving me nuts but it definitely works better on social media than my outdated android).
Fortunately, there have been some blue skies on the horizon this week, namely the new social media app many are abuzz about, including prominent large accounts who got there after I did on Sunday and then had the hapless hubris to “welcome” everyone else in their posts, or grouse about what the site didn’t have and its already established traditions. More on them in a bit.
You might already know it’s called Bluesky. (Spellcheck doesn’t like this word either, and if you read that as blueski instead of blue sky in your head, you wouldn’t be the first to do so.) It’s all the rage, even on MSNBC, which I only know from being on Bluesky because I haven’t watched cable news or any TV news since last Tuesday and have no plans to do so in the near future for my own sanity. I’m currently re-binge-watching (boy did spellcheck not like that concept all run together) Schitt’s Creek because it’s funny, nonviolent, and each episode is short—kind of like my novel chapters. I’m up to season 4 of 6 already. It is just the most wonderful, feel-good, tickle-your-funny-bone show.
But back to Bluesky. It was feel-good exciting when I signed up on Sunday and slogged through learning the ropes. I was thrilled to find such a diverse international writers’ community. And so many astrophysicists with cool pics of space. Lots of moon enthusiasts. Cat and dog lovers. Brainiacs and/or artists of all kinds. Refreshing, to say the least. I promptly and happily deactivated my Twitter/X account.
But then came the torrent of other Twitter/X folks bringing their bad, self-absorbed habits with them. Millions of newbies caused the site to have growing-pain glitches yesterday while the vainglorious continued to obsess over follower numbers when there are no algorithms that boost you simply because you are popular to the masses. I admit I immediately followed back some of those accounts, happy to see something familiar—or so I thought.
Now I could just scream. These dudes (yes, most of the egomaniacal offenders are male) seemingly have absolutely no ability to read the room. Crowing about how many followers and likes they get on Twitter/X (many still haven’t left that toxic site) and how much more engagement they’re getting on Bluesky. How they love it, they gush. And yet all they do is focus on gaining back the thousands of followers they lost on X because of those of us wisely leaving the site. They actually list the numerical comparisons in their Bluesky posts. Like anyone else cares. It’s disheartening, to say the least, especially when it’s coming from someone I respect.
And I’m angry at myself for falling for it again, when I swore I wouldn’t, even before I left that other site. The “If you vote blue I want to follow you” game some of them play. The “Like and repost this and I will follow you back” types. Most don’t follow back. Who knows if they ever intended to.
It’s become clear all they really care about is promoting themselves based solely upon number of followers. Which is not what Bluesky is really about, according to those who have been around it for a while. The fresh air aspect is its potential for more meaningful interaction with likeminded on subjects that interest you.
All I can say is at least the Bluesky blocking function works, because Elon got rid of it on his cesspool so that bots and MAGAs could freely harass and prey upon the rest of us. Especially women. Because that’s what maniacal misogynists do.
Of course there are now bots infiltrating Bluesky too. I’ve blocked about a dozen after agonizing over following them back because I couldn’t quite tell, but their profiles looked suspicious. I need to follow my gut more because it only takes a few hours for the direct message to appear. They all inevitably begin with “Hi there!” including a waving hand emoji. They are always men. Because creepy is the name of the game. As if social media were a demented dating site for those with a less than stellar grasp of language.
But I should be glad I now have more than 550 followers in less than a week, right? Actually, I just wish more people I find interesting would read and respond to my posts. The most interaction I’ve gotten is when I replied to a large account holder who asked, “What is the best novel you’ve read this year?” My answer was The Ministry of Time. How lovely to discover many others loved it too. I even got a recommendation for another novel, The Deluge, which sounds fantastic. Lots of avid readers on Bluesky! But did I get followed back by that large account holder? (insert eyeroll emoji here)
On a more serious note, there’s another pertinent word being bandied about social media: Kakistocracy. Meaning, a society governed by the worst and least qualified. But the best snark posted on Bluesky today was: Is there going to be anyone in this administration who has NOT committed sexual assault?
Right now the hysteria is a tad overwhelming on Bluesky when it comes to the travesty of latest cabinet nominees for the deranged fascist of a president-elect, which is triggering angst in me, of course. Plus disgust, because who didn’t know he would pick the most atrocious degenerates possible? “How is this even remotely surprising?” I murmured into the vast social media void, unanswered.
Hence, the most important message seen is one I’m sharing herein, because so many of us need to start heeding it ASAP. From Garry Kasparov: “The ability of demagogues & autocrats to surprise, to create a new scandal every day, is their superpower. It diminishes attention to the previous day’s transgressions & normalizes them. It slowly numbs the senses, including outrage. Values are our only defense. Hold them dear.”
A whole lot of folks trashed their supposed values, if they had any, when they voted in our presidential election. Therefore, no matter what social media you’re on or where you get your news, don’t succumb to their numbness, or their selfishness. And don’t obey in advance like a few prominent newspapers did when they avoided endorsements, because it isn’t turning out so well for the NYT so far.
Next week I think I’ll maybe write about UFOs and the Pentagon, because it’s actually in the news again, though not making many headlines because it doesn’t involve the current fascist takeover of our nation. Come to think of it, this would be an ideal time for my Other Worldly novels to come true. We could use some extraterrestrial intervention and assistance right now.