2 ms·
I've had a particularly bad breakup with my ex-girlfriend who I met on Twitter (I was the one responsible for the falling out), and I had to delete my Twitter a
by CactusBlue 2y ago
I've had a particularly bad breakup with my ex-girlfriend who I met on Twitter (I was the one responsible for the falling out), and I had to delete my Twitter account for two reasons:
1. The open, "town-square" nature of Twitter meant that it was easy to run into each other again, and she was feeling uncomfortable sharing space with me.
2. This was taking a huge toll on my mental health at the time, because just being on Twitter (or any of the many Twitter clones, for that matter) was reminding me of my relationship with her, just because of how the algorithm worked.
I still think Twitter provided value for me as a startup founder, for marketing and networking purposes. But It wasn't really matter of if it provided value or not; Twitter was driving me to death in the most literal sense of the word possible. To choose life, I chose to leave Twitter.
As someone whose startup builds social platforms, I am extremely turned off by the idea of "public square" models for the internet, after these incidents. We shouldn't aim to get everyone into a single feed, where you are given a curated feed, designed to engage you for as long as possible for the whims of advertisers, as opposed to the utility of the users.
- polygon87 2y agoApologizes if this is insensitive, but was one of you blocking or muting the other an option? I’ve muted all my exes on IG.
- CactusBlue 2y agoWe did block each other mutually, but the world is a small place, and the algorithm works to ensure that the world is a small place, as you're usually only one or two degrees of separation away.