When I first got online back in the late 1990’s, I needed the Internet. Knowing that I wasn’t alone, knowing that information was out there, knowing I now had a resource to find things out was wonderful.
Over time though, and in a very small timeframe at that, the experience changed. Instead of it being a place where people would post about their life experiences, from which you could draw your own conclusions and ideas, it went to a place of attack.
The arseholes of the world. Yes, arseholes, not bullies, not misguided, not opinionated, straight up arseholes ruined it. No longer was someone’s experiences valid, unless some arsehole approved. If they didn’t approve, then you had to be shamed and ridiculed for it.
I fought it for a while, then took a break from it all. I wanted a clear space to reevaluate what it was I wanted from my online experience.
I changed.
Instead of being one of the sheep, I instead only stuck to the positive. I valued the experiences people had, and gave them credit for what they did. I decided to not be yet another negative voice online. It didn’t work.
Recently I’ve had threats of violence, death threats, been told to kill myself, all because some arsehole has decided that’s what they want, and because they want it, then it has to happen.
So I’m done. I’m retiring from social media. I’m not going to waste my time looking at Twitter, Facebook, blogging, Instagram, Reddit, or any of those things on a daily basis. I’m not going to engage with others to give myself any kind of experience. I’m done. Life is too short as it is to get drawn into the bullshit of arseholes. Even shorter if you do what they want.
So where too from here? Well there are a couple of milestones coming up in the next few years, and I may mention them in one or two places, but apart from that, stuff it, I’m out.