So, you want to leave a social media platform? Do this first!

As the atrocities pile up day by day, I’m seeing calls to leave popular social media platforms. This makes so much sense! At the risk of overgeneralizing, I think we all want to spend our time with values-aligned people and places (digital included), we all want to DO SOMETHING DRASTIC as we see human rights and humanitarian principles erode before our very eyes, and perhaps most of all, we want to do these things together, in community.

In full transparency, I think there’s something missing from these calls to action. I want to write more about what I see happening here, and what we might be able to do about it. The fire in my belly is a hint that there’s more going on than first meets the eye.

merits of moving

There are some core ideas at play in the conversation about why getting off of [insert platform name here] is the right thing to do. Let’s explore them:

• Privacy/security: Are platforms being responsible with my personal data? Can I trust the people behind the platform? Are they safe?
• Surveillance: (sub flavor of privacy?) If I talk about resistance to the regime, will I/my loved ones be in danger? Will my protests be foiled?
• Tacit support of CEO: Does using the platform show that I am in favor of the actions of the CEO and leadership team? Should I boycott?
• Values alignment: Do these platforms help me live up to my values? Are they in conflict with my values? Are they making the world worse?
• Mental health: These platforms often cultivate insecurity, lack of self esteem, competition, if taken to an extreme, self harm; also many people have difficulty with regulation (spending too much time on them)
• Experience/media consumption: What I see on these platforms is just not fun anymore / not what I came here for (ads, algorithm, critical mass of friends, etc)

What would you add to this list? Let me know in the comments! 💬

Using technology in alignment with our values, or what we sometimes call “Ethical Tech” is so, so important to me. I’ve made some big switches personally, like:

• Moving from Goodreads to Storygraph
• Moving from X to Mastodon (see post: I’m learning Mastodon)
• Experimenting with new-to-me platforms (see post: my internet habits are changing)

These changes have brought with them a torrent of emotions: excitement, trepidation, curiosity, eagerness to learn, loss of what I had before, relief, values alignment, sometimes even (I feel embarrassed to admit it) an “air” of superiority.

There are lots of good reasons to leave platforms (and end it there) or move TO a new platform. And there are SO many platforms to choose from, with more coming online all the time. In researching for this blog post, I learned about an app where you can have a little square of phone real estate reserved for your best friend, and they can leave you little surprises on there (not an app notification, but actually post pics/notes that you will see when your phone is unlocked in a little widget!). [Please hold while I get me and my best friend to download this…. digital equivalent of bff necklaces?!]

slow down

The topics I discussed above are pretty serious. I mean, it really feels like our health and wellbeing AND hard-fought political beliefs are on the line. [phew, deep breath]. The thing is, THEY ARE.

Given how persuasive these issues are, you might be wondering what the heck I’m doing, writing this screed, instead of writing a polemic about why we should all Get the Heck Off the Apps, asap!

You might be surprised that I’m advocating for slowing down, especially given what’s happening around us.

But that’s exactly what I’m going to do. Stay with me, I hope, and then we can have a discussion together in the comments.

But first, let’s hear from my Spreadsheet Soulmate, Emily Hicks-Rotella, from their recent writing on the subject of Slow Tech.

“The Slow Technology movement doesn’t aim to save time. Instead, its core principle is to build and use technology to enhance our abilities […] that should take the time they take:

• Relationship building
• Community engagement
• Fostering trust

In this framework, we:

1. Don’t try to learn or use technology in the quickest ways possible
2. Don’t look for ways technology can “speed up” key aspects of social justice work
3. Assess technology for its ability to support taking necessary time for our work”

Emily Hicks Rotella, A Case for Slow Technology For Nonprofits

Whether or not my communities decide to move technology platforms, I believe we should take time now to have real discussions about what’s at stake.

I think in this piece, Emily is thinking about technology in the hands of nonprofit orgs, which is slightly different but intimately related to what I’m talking about here, which is technology-facilitated community groups.

We feel called to DO SOMETHING. We feel appalled by tech CEOs wreaking havoc in the federal government. We should quit their apps!!! Yes, yes, yes – it seems so clear! What happens if we slow down the thought process, and instead, design a community engagement process (yuck, anyone have a less NPIC oriented term?) so that we can decide what to do, together?

Let’s take security as one example: If our digital security and privacy are at risk, I want to have conversations about what safety really means to us. That might mean we all use our real names, or none of us use our real names. That might mean we need a VPN, or it might mean we only talk about sensitive things in person. One group I’m in uses a popular chat app, and some members are interested in switching to a more secure chat app. This idea poses as many questions as it may answer. If we want to tighten up security, what criteria would we want to use for new people joining the chat? Should we require that everyone use a security passcode on their devices?

Then, there is the matter of surveillance. It is a terrible + terrifying feeling to worry about whether our most vulnerable conversations are being “listened to” by the App or the State, or the two combined. I’ve spent a lot of time in communities where we’ve taken increasingly extreme measures to prevent or discourage infiltration or entrapment from “law enforcement” reps or corporate hacks. That being said, almost none of those measures resulted in switching apps. In some cases, we determined that it was best to not use digital devices at all. In other cases, we decided that we were not doing anything as private/sensitive as we first thought; if authorities were listening in, then they would know that there was organized resistance… and that was not such a bad thing. I think similar principles MAY apply here. But to be honest, I won’t know what I think until I’ve had more conversations… more on that coming soon…

These are conversations that I yearn to have, because they give us a chance to build real trust + community (no matter what app we use), and THOSE qualities will keep us safer than any app ever can. They also give us agency and empowerment in a time when we are sorely lacking it.

Having these convos might mean that we stay on current platforms, move to a different platform, or dream of some new, third thing! We don’t know what will happen when we sit down together to talk about how technology can support our wildest aspirations. What I’ve learned from my career so far is… nothing bad happens, and lots of good can come, if we are able to really listen to each other.

what’s the risk? an alternate perspective

I’m asking myself, why do I feel strongly in the current moment that I stick to my evil-CEO-apps? The answers are surprising me. Perhaps they’ll surprise you?

We talked above about the risks in staying on these platforms. I’d also like to discuss the risks of leaving:

1. Splitting sacred community forums that have taken decades to build, right when we need them the most
2. Hiding critique of the regime behind super-encrypted apps/devices/processes creates a culture of fear and unintentionally makes it seem like we are “complying in advance” (something social movement leaders are warning us not to do). Makes it seem like talking about resistance to the regime is something that should be secret/something we should be afraid of, when really it should be loud and proud (for those of us who have the privilege to speak out with the least consequences)
3. Makes us feel like we’ve done something big when what have we really changed?
4. Leaving without engaging with tech platform owners misses an opportunity for feedback or compromise
5. Boycotts are effective when there are huge numbers of people acting together – I don’t see any organized calls to get off of these apps, mostly individual people who feel called to do so by their own ethics
6. Requiring people to download new apps can make getting involved in communities/social justice seem harder or less accessible
7. Cedes social media apps to the far right – I let go of twitter and they already have 4chan. Must they take the others too?
8. Are the alternatives better? There are many new social media platforms, but I’m not sure they’re different enough from what we have to path serious ethical scrutiny (ie most I’m seeing are venture capital backed + seem susceptible to the same issues we have now)

should we stay or should we go?

I’ve written a lot on this blog about being platform agnostic – most of the tools that I create can be built or replicated in Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel, in Salesforce or in Blackbaud products, in Mailchimp or in Campaign Monitor. I regularly tell people that I believe there is relatively little difference between popular task/project management apps like Asana or Trello. The name of the product is MUCH less important than how we use it and who we use it with.

I’m experimenting with extending this framework to how I think about social media apps. Let me tell you, it’s not easy for me to do this! The reasons why these apps are terrible and worthy of boycott are looming large. But desire for connection for me, now, is looming the largest.

What matters to me most is not whether *I* stay or go, but what “we” decide to do together.

So, before we let the door slam on our way out, or try to migrate folks to a new platform that sounds good, here’s a process I suggest we try:

1. We plan real-time, video-on session(s) (or in person meetings) to talk about our hopes/dreams/fears for our community group (in general, not specifically tech-focused)
   • We imagine how technology can lovingly enable our dreams, and where we feel our current technology is working against our dreams
   • We make a list of things we like about our current platform and things we don’t like. Put a star next to non-negotiables (2-3 people should upvote before a star gets added)
2. After the session, we put this out to the whole group to vote on which features are the most important and the second most important
3. We task a small group to go out and research platforms that meet the criteria in step 2 and try them out. Report back to the whole group about this research.
   • If there’s a platform (or two?) that is viable, we get a small group together to test it for a week or two. They can report back to the whole group once or twice during their trial period.
   • During this process, it’s helpful to make a channel for anyone playing really close attention to the platform change so that they can engage as much as they want to. And keep cross chat out of the main channels where people are talking about other stuff. Encourage the highly engaged people to air their grievances in the process chat, not in the main chat. This is not always successful, but worth trying!
4. If there’s a viable platform, we make an implementation plan. This sounds scary but it doesn’t have to be! It can be as simple as a switch over date, a plan for inviting everyone to the new place, and some clear instructions that set expectations (these instructions should be repeated A LOT). The implementation plan should include the 5 W’s (who, what, where, when, why) and how, and how much $ 🙂
5. We have a ritual to celebrate the old platform
6. We sunset the old platform (no new members, no new posts)
   • We accept that some people won’t want to continue on the new platform. The inverse is also true (some people won’t stay on the old platform once a better option is available).
   • We pay attention to who came along with the change and who didn’t. Might need to re-do step 4 to re-engage anyone who fell off.
7. We celebrate. Change is hard!

can we stay, but do it safely?

It seems like there ARE some healthy and harm-reducing things that we can do to keep our data and communities safe(r). I’m really appreciating the leadership here from people who know a lot more about digital security (and frankly, the internet)! than I do.

Here’s a useful place to start:

rinse & repeat

We’re never done asking and answering questions about who we want to be in the world. While I wish the path was simpler and more fair, I’m grateful most of all to be here with all of you. Wherever the “here” is that we can gather, that’s where I want to be.