Well, there it is. I'm no longer "verified". Not that being verified means anything when you've been falsely accused of violating the "Rules of X" and suspended for "inauthentic behaviors". Kinda weird how X thinks AI is smart enough to handle the business of sorting out who's real and who's not, but when the real person cancels their real monthly billing subscription? The AI cannot make that leap of logic - "Gee whiz, an actual human was behind that paying account! Maybe we should have an actual human review his account? Naawww".
Nope. The AI doesn't care. And I'm not going to pay $8 a month to the the richest man in the world, Elon Musk, when even after multiple appeals I can't get a single human to review my case. But, I think I've already mention this before - I'm not alone. If you go to THIS SUBREDDIT you'll find hundreds of people in the exact same boat. Same situation, same circumstances, same appeals, same automated rejection emails, and same anger and frustration. Actually, some have it worse! They've received emails informing them X has reviewed their case and found that they didn't violate the rules, only to then quickly learn that they're STILL SUSPENDED (and they can't get help with that). Or, there are those who patiently appealed umpteen times, and waited months and months, and then FINALLY got their account back, only to be suspended a day or two later. Why? For "inauthentic behavior".
So, I'm not going to lie. It sucks. Not because I really had all that much engagement there. Oh don't get me wrong - I USED TO. Yeah, back in the "good 'ole days" of twitter, those of us to the right of center would gravitate to each other. Just like those of us from Generation X would gravitate to each other. There would be multiple thread conversations, lots of likes and retweets, and lots of really good discussions. And once someone followed you, everyone who followed them would suddenly want to follow you too. But then it all changed, Most of it is documented right here in this lonely little blog. It started with the "prove you're a human" captcha tests, then once you did - suddenly you have 4,200 alleged followers and NONE OF THEM see your posts any longer? Yeah - the platform never did away with the shadowban, they just stopped talking about it.
So now I'm currently doing my thing on four different social media platforms. Well five if you count "Instagram", which I don't because it's really not my cup of tea but, I stay on there because my Daughter uses it, so I can keep up with her. Anyway - yeah so I'm gonna list the four here with handy links for you to follow me on each one if you also happen to be there too. Now fair warning - I post the identical news links to each, so picking a specific one over another doesn't get you different content. But, as I say, if you found this screed via one platform, and you're ALSO on one of the others? Win/win.
So first up we have TRUTH SOCIAL. Now, I'm not gonna lie. (And no disrespect to President Trump), but this place is just not happening. Since resuming my posting there, I've only attracted the occasional lonely heart who wants to DM me with requests for "chats". Otherwise, ghost town. Maybe you can change that? Next up we have GAB. Now this one is a step up from Truth. Since resuming on there, I've picked up a couple new followers and I always see a steady stream of new posts. Granted, some of them are kinda whacky, but that's to be expected I guess. So far, so good. Next up we have GETTR. Now, this one surprised me the most. It seems to have a lot of features, I've quickly picked up a few followers, and I see a steady stream of news and information. It also seems to have folks from all over the political spectrum, which presents the occasional comment from the Left (President Trump is a.....). You know how they are. But, for the most part, all good.
And finally, we have PARLER. (Open that link and search for @AuthorofAbsurd )And yes, I did save the best for last. Now, why do I say it's the best of the four (so far)? ENGAGEMENT. Yup, reactions are not instantaneous, but when I post articles there, I will eventually get some likes (thumbs up) and reposts and the occasional comment. And that's what it's really all about, isn't it? Social Media is meant to be, well, you know - SOCIAL. So, when you take the time to share something you find interesting or important or humorous - you want others to participate. You want to know that your time was appreciated, That you were seen and heard, And I seem to get the most of that from PARLER. So far. Who knows? If I've learned anything from the X debacle it's that everything online can change in an instant. What you thought was your second, online home can be snatched away from you before you have a chance to say - "Hey! We've followed each other for 11 years and always liked each others posts, but they're making me leave so, it was nice knowing ya online!"
Yeah, there are no dramatic movie, final farewells on the internet. Just - YOUR ACCOUNT HAS BEEN SUSPENDED. And you think you're online friends panic and worry about you. And the truth is - they quickly forget and move on. Such is life. Oh well, that's all I've got for you today. If you'd like to read more of my misadventures, scroll down. Otherwise, see ya in the funny papers!
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