I honestly have a lot of empathy for people who are having trouble letting go of Twitter because they used to be popular, or very engaged, there. I made amazing relationships there, and there was a time when I really loved the feedback loop I had. (I didn’t care that much about being “known”, but I valued the access it gave me.) It’ll be years before the fediverse reaches its own equivalent strengths, and I don’t fault anyone for struggling to transition from a familiar (if failing) platform.
@anildash I had 8k followers -- nothing on your scale, but they were real people (according to bot checker sites), most of whom I interacted with regularly and I genuinely cared about.
I've walked away from both accounts.
The thing is, I'm medically vulnerable & in pandemic solo isolation. So I just disconnected from almost everyone I know.
For me, it was morally necessary. It has also been brutal.
Thank you for seeing the choice is not simple & the costs can be high.