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the human is in, and a twitter problem. (Patreon)

Published:
2022-12-17 04:14:53
Imported:
2026-06
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Content

hello loves

human here, reporting for duty.

there are a lot of new patrons here today - welcome. welcome. this is a good place and a safe place and it’s full of smart, kind people. i’m glad to see you here and incredibly grateful for your support. it means more than usual lately.

the internet is getting weirder.

i had a snow day today - i’m a mom, snow happens - and all the work i was supposed to do didn’t happen. i managed to make two very passionate live video posts about the downfall of twitter: i was prevented from posting my mastodon account link on twitter within 24 of hours of twitter suspending a pile of journalists and mastodon’s twitter account itself. this is some serious 1984 shit.

short story, i saw the news this morning about twitter suspending a bunch of accounts and i went to my little account to say - more or less - “wow that is not good - reminder: i’m on mastodon as an alternative and here’s the link.”

i got a pop-up notice.

i was literally halted - on twitter - from posting a link that led to another social media platform (mastodon).

this was the notice


WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK.

if you want to see me passionately rail, go watch my instagram or facebook videos - one i had time to do in the morning and one at night. if you feel like seeing my christmas tree, watch the IG live. if you want to see me burst into tears talking about how much love i put into it and therefore how sad i am about twitter, watch the FB live.

share either or both of them.

i posted this to mastodon and apparently this is now par for the course on twitter.


the very man (elon) who was crying “free speech!! bring back all the banned people!” is now literally suspending journalists from the new york times and washington post who he considers anti-elon.

this is what it looks like.

this is now a pissing contest about who can cancel who.


you know how i feel about this approach, whether it’s within families, friendships, the music business, or social media.

everybody fucking loses.

the upshot:

if you are a musician, writer, activist, church, bakery, small business, activist group, non-profit, school, ANY COMMUNITY:


DO NOT RELY ON FOR-PROFIT SOCIAL MEDIA TO CONNECT WITH YOUR PEOPLE.

USE EMAIL LISTS.

EMAIL IS GOLD AND DOESNT CHANGE ON A DIME.

social media was amazing for a while but these companies were always for-profit. something had to give eventually. it’s giving. it’s breaking. fast.

the fact that we have been using these platforms for “free” has to be examined. nothing. is. free.

the money always has to come from somewhere.


i’ve been talking about this for years but it’s becoming very ugly and very plain right now with the musk twitter takeover. we cannot stupidly walk around posting and thinking that these platforms are

a) benevolent

or

b) sustainable


it just isn’t like that. let’s not be dumb.

……

anyway. hi.

how are you guys tonight ?

i’ll be online for the next few minutes answering comments. (it’s about 11pm here in NY).

want some homework ??

a reminder:

here’s my email list

https://amandapalmer.net/emaillist/

here’s the dresden dolls email list

https://dresdendolls.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=b178afd80f2aefeccd4edf969&id=9b9ff8fd23

here’s my mastodon

https://home.social/@amandapalmer


and you’re already on my patreon …

so hooray.


for those of you who missed the webcast yesterday, the instant replay is here:

https://www.crowdcast.io/e/diseuupt/register


i love you all

the nice humans will win at the end of the day


x

a


Files

Previews only

Comments

Shannon Parsons

Sending you love and hugs from Melbourne xxxx

Alessandor Earnest

Sometimes it feels like the world is burning, and there’s nothing we can do to stop it. *Billy Joel has entered the chat*

John James

As I mentioned on Mastadon, you should use your considerable powers of community organizing to find some AFP supporters to run and maintain a Mastodon instance for your community funded from a Kickstarter... that's the benefit of federated social media... communities can create and manage their own social media communities using tools like Mastadon...

Miranda Paige

I love you Amanda. The FB live was a great watch and great information. Thank you for that advice.

Chris Valentine

Dear smart tech people who might see this, How can we create a nonprofit social media site? I’m an artist, not a programmer, but I’ll gladly do what I can to help. 🙂

Daniel Allen

I'm with you on this. Nobody should have the level of power Musk has. As to how I'm doing . . . That's a long conversation.

Angel Rosen

Today's the one year anniversary of finding out my dog was dying. I felt actually very okay today until a few hours ago, now I'm missing them more than usual and thinking a lot, replaying our days. I'll keep using Twitter actively indefinitely. It is a really important tool for writing and submitting... but I'll also follow my people to additional places... I'm not very adaptable, but I've got the multitudes, haha. I will literally "follow you into the dark" or else seven different platforms. 😂 Looking forward to all the books I've ordered for Christmas. I finally got the Ocean Vuong poetry book, long overdue. 😊

Nikki

Hi Amanda, I saw your post on Instagram earlier, I watched the first half and then bumped my phone and it skipped to a different thing, tried to go back and the video started over and I just about threw my phone because I hate how Instagram works. Thankfully, I realized that my angered outburst would only hurt me and not Facebook and did not throw my phone. Anyway, I had a crummy day, poured my self a drink, didn't enjoy it at all, don't feel like pouring another because I am not in a good headspace for it right now and was thinking about getting the ice cream out instead. I'm already on your mailing lists but I haven't figured out Mastodon yet.

Megan

Hi! It’s cold here in northern CA. We went and looked at the holiday lights around town. Since the Pandemic, folks have seriously upped their light display game. Anybody else notice this ?Thanks for all the updates 🥰 sending you much warmer thoughts with all the snow expected to be inbound !! ❤️ Megan

Caren Rusco

I saw the news when I was waking up. I have a friend with MS Free Press that posted all about it. I'm sure he, like many other reporters, is terrified to post the wrong things. He's been working endlessly to get the hard facts about Brett Favre out to the world, and I'm scared not as many people will see it if he gets suspended. Sending love. ❤

amandapalmer

update - i just tried to post my twitter name as Amanda Palmer is On Mastodon and was given an error message saying “This user name may contain malware”. so i tried “Amanda Palmer is Asking You To Come Other Places” and i got the same message. this is hilarious.

The Laughing Muse

I put my Mastodon link in my profile back in November, before the ban came on. I've seen people adding a linktree with links to ALL of their online presences. I am kind of hoping for a resurgence in forums as back-and-forth ways for communities to connect. They cost money to host and run, but if a community has members that literally invest in it (my Mastodon-instance admin has a Patreon which I have joined) they can stake their claim a bit more easily. Mastodon currently feels like Twitter did back before I joined: a little sparse and superficial at times, shallow yet but a bit well-meaning, but not everyone is over there yet. I'm at https://mastodon.lol/@thelaughingmuse

Peter Menzl

Vienna calling! I am glad to have a direct line to amanda over Patreon and the mailing list. Thx for the possability!

Christie Ewell

Hi Amanda: It’s been a hell of a fortnight for me and my family. I’m recovering from COVID. I finished barely my teaching term. I felt like crap this whole week. Then my Dad had to go to the hospital where he’s been since Tuesday. And he’s been diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer. I don’t know how I’m even writing anything- I’m a mess and I’ve been crying for the last 36 hours. Thank you for giving us the space. Blessings.

Liz LaManche

My Twitter seems to still be alive, with tagline "Find me at the elephant: lamanche@techhub.social " :) I'm also trying to resurrect some of the open-source and not-for-profit socials, just for fun, like Ello (artists!), & Dreamwidth (archaic long-form journaling descendant of Livejournal. I kept wanting Diaspora to work, but maybe Mastodon will be it. I've already heard some murmurings that rogue instance admins can mess with people's access to their followers by not serving their traffic, or something. Someone probably asked this, but how do we feel about Patreon being for-profit?

Angel Rosen
>>97720904

Oh Christie, that's unimaginably difficult. Sending you love and grace. Please be gentle with yourself.

Tammi L

THIS THIS THIS: "USE EMAIL LISTS. EMAIL IS GOLD AND DOESNT CHANGE ON A DIME." My day job is teaching authors and other creatives how to use emails to create superfans and secure your fanbase OFF SOCIAL MEDIA. (I won't post my links or whatever, that's not my point.) Have fun on social media. But never ever EVER build your career on borrowed land. OWN YOUR OWN DOMAIN. OWN YOUR OWN EMAIL LIST. Don't make it easy for one lunatic, or one company's bad policies, to invalidate all the work you did building a career as a creative — already one of the hardest things in the world. Thank you, Amanda, for always shouting this from the rooftops. And for building communities (like this Patreon and The Shadowbox) that DON'T rely on capricious social media platforms.

Angel Rosen
>>97720500

Ice cream is good self care. I hope tomorrow feels lighter for you ❤️

Liz LaManche
>>97720394

It is infuriating, and tiring, that we put effort into these things and they can so easily turn evil. You are so right about mailing lists, and I wish there was an easy open-source nonprofit social media.

Issa Rodri

tumblr has been the closest to replicating the whole talking-to-friends feeling I got from Twitter, but they don't take kindly to brands or public figures. At the end of the day, seems like mailing lists and personal websites are on a major upswing. bring back the aughts, baby! also, incase I don't see ya (working at a wrap shop for the holidays), have a wonderful merry happy, Amanda. may you find rest and relaxation and rejuvenation in the new year.

Angelina

I saw you mention Mastodon somewhere recently and was curious. I haven't looked into it, but it seems like now might be a good time... I've never really used Twitter (except to get line updates at Comic Con 😄) but have had complicated feelings about instagram and facebook lately. I have been able to discover and connect with some many wonderful artists there, but as things change (algorithms, advertising fees, increasing polarization in society, doom scrolling) it just feels... idk... different... sad/disheartened/ disconnected / something.

Angel Rosen
>>97721410

I miss when tumblr felt super amazing, like a secret hideaway from the performance of social media

Bethany Olson

I missed the webcast due to technical bullshit. One of these days the stars will align. In the meantime I am listening to my kid laugh like a hyena while watching the poo channel on YouTube. Isn’t being a mom fun?

amandapalmer
>>97720656

update two. I finally tried “Amanda Palmer is Really Not Sure” and when THAT was considered malware…I had to laugh. I settled on the URL to my mastodon itself. Which oddly seems to be no problem for twitter. 🤷🏻‍♀️

amandapalmer
>>97720500

at least you didn’t keep drinking. mastodon is basically like twitter. short messages within a large community. choose your server (the way you choose an e-mail server) and just start listening and posting and reading and watching xxx

amandapalmer
>>97720487

oh it’s SO good. i feel like social media is like bars or restaurants. you have a fave but you frequent other locations and the preference shifts. there is no monogamy. x

DebbieG

Twitter is the only social media I used, have never been on FB or Insta. So I am sad to see it implode, but I will stay as long as my cat tweeters are still there 😺. I did set up a Mastodon; Amanda, am already following you there, but of course I am here first for you! And the mailing lists, was already there as well. Now I just need to catch up on the webcast. I see all of you. 💞

amandapalmer
>>97720904

oh babe. it’s all too much at once. i have been there. one tiny moment at a time and i love you. xxxxxx

Bethany Olson

Also, did you know all the Malleus shirts are already sold out in the larger sizes? Big girls love y’all too!

Jenna Bruner

So happy to be in the company of nice humans. 💛

Bethany Olson
>>97721743

Unless you’re like me and didn’t get there in time …. (Sad pitiful face with doe eyes)

Teresa Toro
>>97720487

There are so many strong, established communities on Twitter – like the disabled community. It isn't as easy for an entire community of people to pick up virtual stakes and move over to another platform. It's heartbreaking that some people feel somewhat stuck on Twitter right now. But I'm sure there are numerous conversations about... evacuations.

Kirrabelle Lovell

I mean twitter was doomed when E.Musk bought it, but I doesn’t mean it’s not sad to see it go down the toilet. I only joined twitter because you were on it Amanda - to find a ninja gig back in the day!

Tracy

I've been questioning my usage of Twitter since the take over. Yesterday was it for me. Banning journalists and barring posts linking other social media is not the "town square" Elon claimed he wanted. But power corrupts as they say. I've deleted my account at Twitter. It's sad we're losing those connections. But we've got the Patreon. The Facebook. The Instagram. And ye Olde email! I suppose we will check out others as well. *sigh*

Liz LaManche

Wishing all of us a season of comfort and friends. ❤️

Parker
>>97720580

It’s the same here Megan. I’m in the uk and Christmas lights used to be just the occasional house. We never seemed to embrace that idea much were I live. (Liverpool) Halloween decor was pretty much nonexistent. When I came home from living in NC I really missed how it cheered up the shortening days. Since the first lockdown though it’s gradually been getting more common. There were six houses in my street that went all out for Halloween this year, and the house opposite has been visible from space since the last week of November. It’s awesome. There are inflatable snowmen and illuminated reindeer in every street. This year’s trend seems to be over the top garlands (baubles, ribbons, lights, greenery - the full Monty) along external windowsills and around doors. We drove past some very posh/expensive houses this week, and oh my! The giant wreaths and enormous herds of wicker reindeer was quite astonishing. Given how cold/icy/snowy it is and how that restricts my ability to leave the house, it’s abso-fricken-lutely awesome to be able to look out the window and see such cheerfulness. I’m pondering embracing the Southern tradition of seasonal interior decor. I feel the need for year round twinkle lights…

Parker
>>97720904

Love and light to you Christie. To echo others - be gentle with yourself and when life hurls buckets of darkness at you do whatever you need to to keep on keeping on. As Amanda says, take everything one tiny moment at a time. Look at what needs dealing with right in front of you and let all the rest go. We’re all different I know, but as my life has been lived in almost perpetual crisis mode I’ve found that a ‘head in the sand about non essential stuff’ approach is the only way I can get thru the darker times. I’m on a News Blackout at the moment because I just don’t have the bandwidth available to cope with…any of it. Anyway, sending blessings your way. May you be surrounded by loving kindness. 💝

Parker

May y’all be safe and protected, surrounded by kindness and blessed with good fortune ✨💖✨ …”from the ashes a fire shall be woken, a light from the shadows shall spring.”

Tammi L
>>97721410

"At the end of the day, seems like mailing lists and personal websites are on a major upswing. bring back the aughts, baby!" Haha, yeah, seriously, bring it! I miss those times!

Linda

We're with you for sure and the nice humans will kick ass and are kicking ass by just making it through the days and creating safe spaces for their communities,family, chosen family/friends ❤️

Jake Marcus

I left Twitter (I have an account I rarely use) in around 2011 after prog hashtags became co-opted and I found the experience just left me agitated. And now Musk owns it. I have to say, how can anyone expect anything better to have happened? Why is this surprising?

Eleanor

I don’t ever remember life feeling as surreal as it does for me right now. I feel like we’re watching Rome burn (my phone wanted to autocorrect Rome to time, and I almost left it, somehow it also felt appropriate)

Rebecca Ryan

Hi 👋💜 I don’t know anything right now.. I’m just thank f#xking grateful to see Nick Cave finally live in Melbourne. Oh my.. It was everything 😢 I’m hanging onto that for now. It made me happy. I need happy. P.s Email. I will follow you always, where ever you go x

Lee Lawmaster

There is a phrase that many don't understand, "When the product is free, you are the product." Today it's easier than ever to have your own website; and say whatever you want to say. Blogging platforms changed the game for that. Just your friendly technology professional here letting everyone know that the internet was alive before twitter, and it'll survive without it.

Philippa

Mmm, so have you deleted your Twitter account yet? Unless your post was all bloviation, that’s the obvious conclusion. Elon Musk - the social media company owner who doesn’t understand people as social animals, so he detonates their trust in him and his company. Weird.

Suzanne

Morning Amanda dear. I was already asleep. Too many long days this week. I hope you enjoyed your snow day with Ash. And yes, Social Media has always been a horrible place to focus your business. I've never understood the appeal of Twitter. And I'm sympathetic to those who relied heavily on it.

Len Tower Jr.
>>97720340

I'll help moderated & provide technical assistance. I'll also move my donation to the Mastodon Patreon over to the instance. Note the Mastodon Patreon uses the funs to develope the software, including salaries. I prefer to support instances.

Cyn

I left off FB a year and a half ago because of the toxicity spew, but your substack has lead to me following other artists and encouraging other artists to use that platform. Andrea Gibson recently moved their newsletter/art posting there. Twitter has always been insane. I barely pay attention unless it's a post by someone I know/follow but now they are presenting me with some ridiculous goulash of wtf is that doing in my feed stuff.

worm32b

I chose to write (in college) an essay and project based on the predatory practices of digital subscription services, in relation to social media as a whole. It's amazing what little, fairly unbiased information can shed light on a situation. While I started this project sometime after, when Elon Musk acquired Twitter, it has only gotten worse. As examples of problems I found... Spotify doesn't pay its artists fairly, algorithms on many services, like YouTube, cause filter bubbles on the daily. As I was doing some scope on Patreon itself, it is very much more sustainable than its competition. When I was writing and forming this multi-step project, I felt defeated. In recent years, I've done better to support artists first. Everything else afterwards. I'm sure there are risks present here to being so devoted, but to blindly support corporations over these years... one is clearly worse in my eyes.

John James
>>97720340

There you go! The first step towards an afp.mastadon... Full disclosure... I probably won't join an afp.mastadon... as a 56-year-old white Australian male CIS, I don't have a lot in common with your average AFP fan ;) But! Amanda, I do think creating an afp.mastadon is a perfect fit for the kind of community-based fandom you've been nurturing for years. In fact, to me, it feels like a natural progression. It's something I believe a lot of organisations will begin to do. I can imagine news organisations migrating their online presence to federated communities and moving away from corporate social media, for example. One caveat... I don't believe Twitter is going anywhere. For an afp.mastadon to work, I really believe you would need to leave Twitter once and for all. I don't think having a foot in both camps really works. Some people are trying it, but t looks and feels awkward. So you will be faced with a decision about leaving the community you've built up on Twitter and hoping the majority will follow you to Mastadon. But with Twitter still in existence and with a much bigger user base than Mastadon, that might not be a realistic expectation. I guess, as always, you could ask your followers... stick with Twitter despite its flaws, or go it alone and join the fediverse with your own community-based social media server. That would require time and work as well as money from your community. Hosting and moderating a mastodon server isn't free (unlike using Twitter). Users would need to fund the server, and you'd need to create a bunch of posting rules, and have people moderate those rules... but that's how Mastadon works. Amanda, I think hosting an afp-mastadon would ultimately be a rewarding experience for you and your community. But one with risks (in terms of losing followers). But it's really up to you to decide, and your community

Miriam Krause

I'm feeling cautiously optimistic about spoutible.com but it's not actually ready to go yet... I agree with you Amanda about email newsletters EXCEPT as a reader/patron I never have time to read all the newsletters that come in to my inbox! So I really need the scrollable "microblog" feed where I can catch headlines/snippets from a huge range of people, and then when I occasionally have time to open an actual email it's icing on the cake.

Len Tower Jr.

I'll leave Twitter when it stops being useful to me, to communicate with friends & family, or it disappears. -Len

Nessa Ruiz

Tiktok is my outlet. I’d really love to see you go live and post more content there. You can do insta and fb and TT lives simultaneously. I’ve abandoned all other sm and find the algorithms in TT are really tight. 🖤✨

Jeremy Sliwoski

I'm slowly realizing that I'm getting close to burning my twitter account down. As of right now I'm going through and deleting every tweet that relates to me personally so that when I leave there won't be anything that's me left there. Also I don't want to say the wrong sarcastic thing to the wrong person and suddenly have my personal life dug through (this has happened before which is why I'm cautious).

Miriam Krause
>>97758838

LOL yes, if only I knew how to set one up for myself in a way that would function well, and everyone I used to follow on Twitter would post in a way that the RSS reader could capture... :)