Personal

Goodbye, Twitter

Sam Hardacre

• 2 min read

In December 2006, I heard about this new thing called Twitter. I had no idea what it was but all my web designer and developer friends were joining so I created my account and got on with tweeting about what I was eating for lunch.

Back then, it really was like an online watercooler. I could go there to chat with mates and find cool stuff to read about and it felt like a real community. Over the years, it began to change. The media and celebrity accounts changed what Twitter was and eventually as the algorithms took hold, it changed even further. Sure, you could still get all the cool stuff as before but mixed in were all the toxic shite that you couldn't get rid of, people trolling each other and it began to feel icky being a part of it.

But, I stuck with it. I'd made lots of friends on there over the years and for some, that was the only place I had contact with them.

In recent years, I've stepped away. First by gradually posting less but still lurking and giving stuff likes and the odd retweet and then of course, Elon took over and start turning it into a steaming pile...

As I've not really been active on there for over a year now, it's not exactly been a difficult decision to deactivate my accounts. But, I still do feel a small pang of loss.

18 years my personal account was running. 18 years of thoughts and discussions. It's even the place where Lu and I first met online back in 2008. I still wonder whether we were among the first people to meet on there to then go on to get married.

Time will tell whether I regret letting go of my accounts but I feel like keeping them there sort of feels I'm helping Elon keep his user numbers up. I feel, at this point, the best thing I can do as an individual to show I disagree with his approach is to take my user numbers away from him.

So there you have it. My time on Twitter is done and with it, more or less my being known more generally as 'nocturnalmonkey'. This personal blog is pretty much the only thing which I still maintain with that moniker. It's a silly name I came up with when I was 17 and now as a nearly 40 year old, feel more and more stupid saying to people as time goes on.

I'm now focussing more on my art and those accounts are where I'm still active so if you feel inclined to follow me elsewhere, here's where you can find me:

Hope to see you on one those platforms.