It’s really weird when you discover that you have developed a behaviour, that you despise in others, unconsciously yourself. The “oh, I am susceptible to this tactic that is designed to influence me, not like this dude” kind of habit.
One example: I always considered myself to be someone who wouldn’t adapt his writing style and submit to X’s algorithm. If you’ve spent any time lately on the platform, you probably know what I’m talking about. These over optimised tweets and threads, that are written for maximum reach and engagement.
For example, by not including a link in the main tweet, but later down in the thread. Because, the algorithm might punish you for it. Which it actually does. Or using these “thread hooks” that are overused to death.
That’s a reason why I found the switch to Mastodon so refreshing. It feels less “hustle culture-y” and more authentic. People just share whatever they want and aren’t really concerned about reaching thousands of other users.
Which makes the content actually better, not worse.
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