Navigating our Media Hellscape
It’s no big secret that the media platforms we all consume and use every day are pulling themselves towards the right, as we approach Donald Trump’s second term in office. Mainstream media continues to go out of their way to normalize his behaviors and policies, social media is fracturing itself more and more as they bend the knee to the ideology of misinformation and outright propaganda.
As a progressive who uses these platforms not only in his personal life but to run, promote and grow his business, I find myself at a crossroads. I am struggling to balance the need to be here for my audience and the need to stand up for my principles. I struggle with it every single day as I think about the promotions I want to publish, the places I want to be, and the people I need to engage with. It’s exhausting.
When Elon Musk purchased Twitter and began to promptly set it on fire, I without hesitation shut down our presence on the platform. It was our largest community and it was my lifeline to the video game industry. Mega Dads is headquartered in suburban Minnesota, not exactly a hotbed of activity in the scene. But I felt we could start over in a new place and have a more enriching experience.
After trials on several platforms (Hi, Hive) we finally settled at Threads. Threads was fresh, positive and above all else INCREDIBLY engaging. Our community grew rapidly and our posts went more viral than they ever did on Twitter. This all served not only to propel Mega Dads to engagement highs, but it gave me peace of mind that I was in a place that respected what we did and provided a fun and positive atmosphere.
Then Donald Trump won the election. With nary a second to lose Mark Zuckerberg proceeded to go full MAGA by stripping away any hope that his platforms would be a safe haven for folks who wanted a community that was tolerant, progressive and beholden to facts and truths. We knew all along that Zuck was a Trumper, but Threads seemed to be a place where you could kind of ignore the fact that he was an asshole and just enjoy community. Now I’m not so sure. Zuck’s latest comments and policies show that there is no place for truth in his Metaverse, and in fact he’s made it obvious that certain demographics are now firmly in the crosshairs, which makes Threads feel unsafe.
So we moved to Bluesky. Bluesky has been great and we know that the culture around the platform is what we want it to be (for now?). However engagement is way down, the platform’s infrastructure provides a less satisfying experience, and honestly? … I’m just tired. All of this has made me take stock in what the actual value of these platforms is? Of course social media at it’s very core is strictly superficial. None of it provides actual value to our lives, right?
Honestly I just don’t know how to navigate the online media space at the moment. As the Trump trainwreck rapidly approaches I expect our media ecosystems to become more polluted with filth, lies and intolerance. I’m just trying to be in a space to talk about the joys of gaming and family. But it’s hard.
For now, we primarily post on Bluesky at https://bsky.app/profile/megadads.bsky.social. We hope that it continues to grow and improve. We hope it stays safe and welcoming. But mostly we hope to see you there.
