On the end of Twitter

I forgot to write about this in last month’s recap. Or maybe my brain just blocked it out because I was struggling to find the words to express how I feel about the whole “moving away from Twitter” ordeal.

The truth is, I was never on Twitter for tech. It’s really easy for tech people to go to whatever place they find better, but it’s really hard to explain what Brazilian Twitter means to Brazilian people. Especially when you’re physically away from everyday Brazilian life.

I have left before, many years ago, but there’s no other place I can keep up with parts of that life without Twitter. Sure, I could read independent newspapers, listen to podcasts or whatever, but the live commentary on different aspects of being Brazilian, by people I’ve been following for ~15 years altogether, with all the cultural nuances and memes that was built during this time is hard to replace.

Of course I miss what internet was like when no big corporation owned every single basic tool we need to communicate and express ourselves. But I tried Amelia Wattenberg’s Mastodon bridge app, and not a single Brazilian account I follow is there. And it’s hard to imagine they’ll ever be. I’m in tech and I find the whole decentralised thing quite complex, so how do we expect people that aren’t even necessarily aware of what’s going on to just jump into the unknown like that?

I hate the fact that a stupid billionaire is able to just come in and make our spaces unsafe, and as an expat living an ocean away, this is a really tough decision to make. As tempting as it may be, leaving Twitter would probably mean losing touch with parts of my identity I don’t know how to find anywhere else.

So for now I’m staying there. And hoping Orkut finally comes back.