As most of you know, I deactivated my Twitter account earlier this month. It had been a long time coming, for a whole host of reasons, but Twitter’s decision to be the only social network that gives Alex Jones a platform to spew hate, hurt innocent people, and incite violence was the final straw for me. But I haven’t regretted leaving for even one second. Having that endless stream of hate and anger and negativity in my pocket wasn’t good for me (and I don’t think it’s good for anyone, to be honest).
I was on Twitter from just about the very beginning. I think I’m in the first couple thousand accounts. I remember when it was a smallish group of people who wanted to have fun, make jokes, share information and tips on stuff that was interesting, and oh so many pictures of our pets. It was awesome.
It started to get toxic slowly at first, then all at once, starting with the misogynist dipshits who were behing the gate-which-shall-not-be-named. That was clearly a turning point for Twitter, and it never really recovered from it. I watched, in real time, as the site I loved turned into a right wing talk radio shouting match that made YouTube comments and CSPAN call-ins seem scholarly. We tried for a couple of years to fight back, to encourage Twitter to take a stand against bad actors (HA HA LIKE ME BECAUSE I AM A BAD ACTOR RIGHT YOU GOT ME HA HA HA). Twitter doesn’t care about how its users are affected by themselves, though. Twitter cares about growth and staying on the good side of President Shitler’s tantrums.
I mean, honestly, the most lucid and concise indictment I can give Twitter is: it’s the service that Donald Trump uses to communicate with and incite his cultists.
Anyway, enough about how terrible Twitter is. We all know how terrible it is. That’s never going to change, by the way.I know some very good people who are working on making Twitter better, but I honestly don’t think they can overcome the institutional inertia that has allowed it to get to the point its at now. It may get incrementally better, but the fundamental problem of random, mostly-anonymous people being terrible isn’t going to change, because that’s not a Twitter problem. That’s a humanity — and specifically a social media — problem.
I thought that if I left Twitter, I could find a new social network that would give it some competition (Twitter’s monopoly on the social space is a big reason it can ignore people who are abused and harassed, while punishing people for reporting their attackers), so I fired up this account I made at Mastodon a long time ago.
I thought I’d find something different. I thought I’d find a smaller community that was more like Twitter was way back in 2008 or 2009. Cat pictures! Jokes! Links to interesting things that we found in the backwaters of the internet! Interaction with friends we just haven’t met, yet! What I found was … not that.
I found a harsh reality that I’m still trying to process: thousands of people who don’t know me, who have never interacted with me, who internalized a series of lies about me, who were never willing to give me a chance. I was harassed from the minute I made my account, and though I expected the “shut up wesley”s and “go fuck yourself”s to taper off after a day or so, it never did. And even though I never broke any rules on the server I joined (Mastodon is individual “instances” which is like a server, which connects to the “federated timeline”, which is what all the other servers are), one of its admins told me they were suspending my account, because they got 60 (!) reports overnight about my account, and they didn’t want to deal with the drama.
I respect and support that person’s decision, because it’s a private server and it’s run with their time, energy, attention, and (presumably) money. I don’t agree with it at all, and I think it’s deeply unfair, as well as rewarding abuse of a reporting system that’s meant to protect users, but it’s their site and it’s their rules, and I can’t say I blame them. The people going after me were pretty awful, and I can only imagine that an admin would get fed up with them, too.
I want to share the message I posted there when I left (Twitter is called ‘birdsite’ on Mastodon):
I have been notified by an Admin here that they are getting 60 reports a day about my account. As far as I can tell, I’m not breaking any rules, and I’ve done my best to be a good person here. But this admin is going to suspend my account.
It’s the Admin’s instance, so I fully support their choice to eliminate a source of frustration, but something to consider: a person who is doing nothing wrong can be run off one instance by a mob from another instance. That seems … not cool. 1/x
But it’s been made very, very clear to me that I am not welcome in the Fediverse, and I hear you. I hoped to find an alternative to the birdsite where I could find the same fun community that existed over there in the beginning, and it’s clear to me that I won’t be finding that. Before I leave, I want to just make something very clear, because I’ve spent most of my life being yelled at by people who don’t know me at all, and I want the record to be clear. 2/x
During GamerGate, I was dogpiled and mobbed and brigaded and attacked by thousands of accounts. I started using a blocklist that was supposed to help stop that. I did not know that the blocklist I signed up for also had a lot of trans women on it. When I found out, I did everything I could to remove those women from the list I shared. When there were still innocents on the list, I stopped sharing the list entirely. Despite this, a mob has decided that I’m anti-trans. 3/x
This lie that I am anti-trans, or anti-LGBQ, is deeply hurtful to me (I know it’s nothing like the pain LGBTQ people deal with every day, as they simply try to *exist* in a world that treats them so badly, but it is still hurtful in its own way to me). I just want to make it extremely clear: that is a lie, and the people spreading it are misinformed.
So I’m leaving the Fediverse, which has treated me with more cruelty, vitriol, hatred, and contempt than than anyone on the birdsite ever did. 4/x
Anyway, take your victory lap and collect your prizes. You’ve made it clear that I’m not welcome here, and even though I disagree with the action this Admin is taking (banning me when I didn’t break any rules doesn’t seem right), I respect and support the Admin’s decision to run their instance the way they see fit.
Please do your very best to be kind to each other. The world is a terrible place right now, and that’s largely because it is what we make it.
Bye.
6/end
This isn’t limited to Mastodon.cloud (the worst attacks and dogpiling came from a few other instances before the instance I was on became awful) and it isn’t limited to Twitter.com. I see this in the online space all the time now: mobs of people, acting in bad faith, can make people they don’t know and will likely never meet miserable, or even try to ruin their lives and careers (look at what they did to James Gunn). And those mobs’ bad behaviors are continually rewarded, because it’s honestly easier to just give them what they want. We are ceding the social space to bad people, because they have the most time, the least morals and ethics, and are skilled at relentlessly attacking and harassing their targets. It only takes few seconds for one person to type “fuck off” and hit send. That person probably doesn’t care and doesn’t think about how their one grain of sand quickly becomes a dune, with another person buried beneath it. That’s a huge problem that seems to be baked into social media, and I tried to mitigate it with a blocklist that I never intended to be problematic, but ultimately was. (And for what it’s worth, the part of me that wants to apologize to the people who ended up on it by mistake is overwhelmed by the part of me who was attacked really viciously by a lot of those people and feels like maybe blocking them wasn’t such a bad idea, after all.)
At the end of the day, I’m lucky and privileged as fuck. I can sign off from a website (or multiple websites), and go live my life with my amazing family and our dogs. I’m not a marginalized person who has to fight every moment of every day, just to live my life. So I’m keeping that in mind and keeping that perspective in my heart. Yes, the accusations and the big lie that took hold in remarkably short time about me is hurtful. Yes, it’s upsetting to know that there are a lot of people out there who have decided to take time out of their lives to actively hate me, without knowing anything about me other than a story they were told by someone else who doesn’t know me. But I can sign off and get away from it, so I will. And I will be grateful that I can.
Buuuuuuuuuut … I’m done with social media. Maybe I just don’t fit into whatever the social media world is. I mean, the people who are all over the various Mastodon instances made it really clear that I wasn’t welcome there (with a handful of notable, joyful, exceptions, mostly related to my first baby steps into painting), and it seems as if I was just unwelcome because … I’m me? I guess? Like, I know that I’m not a transphobe, but holy shit that lie just won’t die, and right now as I am writing this, someone at Mastodon is telling me that I am, because people said so, and I should apologize to them. I mean, how am I supposed to respond to that, when it happens over and over and over again? “You’ve been lied to about me. Please give me a chance” just doesn’t seem like a viable way forward with people who are, for whatever reason, very, very angry. And these people seem to have an idea of me in their head that doesn’t fit with the idea of myself that I have in my head. It’s honestly caused me to rethink a lot of stuff. Like, am I really the terrible person they say I am? I don’t think I am, but I’m doing my best to listen, and when I say, “please stop yelling at me and let’s have a conversation that I can grow from” I get yelled at for “tone policing” and honestly I just get exhausted and throw up my hands. Maybe I’m not this person they tell me I am, but I represent that person in their heads, and they treat me accordingly? This is one of those times when my mental illness makes it very hard for me to know what’s objective reality and what’s just in my head.
But I don’t deserve to be treated so terribly by so many random people, so I’m not going to put myself in a place where I am subjected to it all day long. As the saying goes, I’m too old for this shit. What we used to call microblogging isn’t worth the headache for me. I’m gonna focus my time and my energy on the things that I love, that make me happy, that support my family.
Please do your best to be kind, and make an effort to make the world less terrible. Thanks for listening.
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I wish I could tell you of a fantastic new social media platform that is like the fun, early days of twitter, but… I got nothing. Twitter is a cesspit, and it’s taken years for my follow network to be a nice environment. But I’m not famous or well-known. I’d love for there to be a new place to go to, but I haven’t found it yet.
What the actual fuck?!?!?!?!? I am so very, very angry! I just dumped Mastadon after reading those posts over there. Frankly I didn’t care much for Mastadon anyway; I only signed up there because you mentioned it. Are you going to stay on CounterSocial? They seem much nicer over there, as much as I can tell. At least I haven’t seen any signs of abuse, yet.
You have always had my support, Wil. If there is anything I can do to help you, please let me know. You can find me on the JoCo Cruise groups on Facebook. Lord knows you have helped many people besides me and you deserve better than this.
Love to you, Anne and the four- and two-legged kids! <3
Laurie
I’m sitting here horrified that people don’t get to know YOU and just believe what they are told rather than figure out truth. But then again… that seems to be a thing these days. Just listening to idiots and believing the things that are said rather than thinking critically and looking for the “rest of the story”. Clickbait headlines that having NOTHING to do with the article.
I’m pulling back from a group that was my main hobby/interest for decades because I’m realizing that the misogyny, ableist attitudes and patriarchy in the group are harmful to me personally.
It’s so difficult to look around and find a tribe. I want to share my art, my life, my dogs but damn, haters gonna hate and it’s just too much to deal with it.
I don’t know what the answer is but your post really resonated with me.
Hugs from the Corgi girls and a handshake from me.
I am on neither Twitter nor Mastodon, but I genuinely hope we don’t lose you on Tumblr. I’ve been following you for a couple years, now, because you so consistently bring joy and insightful perspective, even in the worst of times. It has been a pleasure to have a window into the life of someone so different from myself, and so … innately good and genuinely well-meaning.
I’ve been following your foray into painting on IG and it makes me happy. And it seems like you are happy IRL. I hope you are. You’re a good person.
Unfortunately this is only getting worse. As a fellow human I am sorry that you are going through this.
Do you suppose we just have to let the world hit rock bottom and right itself in time? Or is there something we can do to thwart the awfulness? Because it does feel pretty hopeless out here on the internet at times. Even families are arguing with each other and blocking each other on social media posts. It’s a whole new (and frighteningly easy) way to ostracize and hurt other human beings. I’m not sure how we fix it…
Wow!!! That was such a sad post. I’m so sorry, Wil. I believe with all my heart that you are undeserving of that treatment. But I have no words of wisdom or sunshine quotes to help this situation. You are right – this world is what we make it. And when you do your best to offer kindness and optimism, you would think it would come back to you. Maybe not, which is depressing. Perhaps your world needs to get smaller while you heal from this onslaught. I know you’re a public figure, but you can isolate yourself from their input for a time. I don’t think forever withdrawal would be good for you though. You have so much intelligence and humor to share, and interaction with others can bring joy and enlightenment. We just have to figure out a avenue that is safe. Would you start one?? Hugs.
I’m so sorry that happened to you. I’m appalled at the ugliness of humanity. I followed you on Mastodon and was horrified by what I was reading about you this morning in the instance I belong to. You are not what they say, and please know you bring joy to many on a daily basis. I can only hope one day civility will return to our lives.
I just got home from work and saw all the aftermath on Mastodon…. I’m so sorry that you had to deal with that. I don’t even really know what to say, just that it’s awful and I hate it. Take care of yourself <3
Oh Wil, my heart aches reading this. I’m so sorry that you are being bullied in this way.
I don’t believe the lies. I’ve seen, in your posts, compassion and a thirst for equality and justice. You have shined light when darkness abounds. I value that.
Tell us what we can do to help you feel supported.
I’m so sorry you’ve been treated this way, Wil. I know I don’t know you personally, but I know you don’t deserve to be treated so callously. I hope you continue to blog and stay connected to us, but I fully understand if you choose not to. ❤
People won’t believe you’re a great guy because they don’t want to; it doesn’t fit their narrative. But you do matter a great deal to a lot of people, and you do a lot of good in the world. A friend of mine heard you speak at the Ohio NAMI conference, and found it inspiring. Hm. Maybe…you should start a social media network, the way it should be…?
Wow and Yikes! It is hard to understand why there is so much verbal/online abuse. Although I think the current nature of politics has helped open the floodgates even wider, I’m pretty sure trolls were out there long before. Maybe you’ve heard this, but it takes almost no time to call you ugly names and accuse you of ugly beliefs. If a person can’t take the time to make a civil, thoughtful comment, then maybe their response deserves less of thetime it takes to read it than they spent writing it. I know it is hard to just let it slide off your back, but I can think of no other suggestion. There are plenty of good, kind and thoughtful people out here, we’ve just been drowned out by those who are not. Since we can only control our own behavior, I guess it is up to us to keep plugging along setting a good example. Take care.
I saw the drama right at the end of it all unfolding. I am extremely angered by how unfairly you were treated.
I have a deep amount of respect for you. In all the time I have followed you, you have only shown yourself to be a good person, and someone whom I would aspire to be like. You’re the kind of person I would wish to be best friends with.
So for all this to happen to you, really affects me emotionally, because it is basically an attack on the kind of person I myself want to be.
I think I must have commented on your previous post about the Mastodon thing just before you published this, but I’m so angry about it. I remember being dubious of Twitter when it first started but giving it a shot because hey, it’s a shiny new toy! Maybe I’ll like it. And I did. And I made a lot of friends through it. And then Arab Spring came along and everyone was talking about how amazing Twitter was for coordinating protests and helping to spread real information around the world. But since then, it feels like it’s been downward slide into horribleness. Twitter, Facebook, Mastodon…it feels like living in a city where every coffee shop and bar has been taken over by angry people who scream at you like they want you to leave, but they don’t really want you to leave because then who would they yell at? Like the entire internet has become Timecube. It’s so frustrating and disappointing. Anyway, you deserve to be happy and peaceful, so do what you’ve got to do.
You’re a good guy, Mr Wheaton. It truly sucks that the Misinformed Masses get to wield such a big stick, driving folks like you off the social media platforms they’ve commandeered. Nothing I say will make a difference in their world, but I hope that a sympathetic voice can encourage you in yours. I don’t have any brilliant insights to share – just a vote of support.
This is why I still cling to my Dreamwidth/Livejournal accounts. Yeah, they are small, quiet communities, but the people I’ve friended on there are people I can have conversations with. Perhaps it is because I’m old school internet, but I just prefer blogs where topics can be explored, just like this one. I keep hearing rumblings about Pillowfort being the next thing in fandom blogging, but after the quick demise of Muzzy, I’m not going to get too excited.
I hope more people delete their so-called “social” media accounts (or more like shouting-into-the-void-with-no-intention-of-having-a-social-interaction media accounts). The big ones definitely have more problems than benefits at this point and, like you said, the owners really do not care about most users. I think a lot of people don’t realize how toxic those sites are for them, how easily worked up they can get seeing such negativity and anger all the time.
Anyhoo, we’ll always have WordPress.
Sorry Wil, that sucks.
Remember that it is not the World, it is just Mastodon (and birdsite) that is bothering you right now. And that is only a very small part of the World, after all. I hope that is some comfort.
Also, if you just want to be treated as a regular geek again, you could always create an anonymous account. I get no hate on birdsite, other than what the people I follow share, but the flipside is I also get almost no attention of any kind. :p
And thank you for the Marlowe pic. I’m mentally booping her nose.
I’m so sorry. I hope, selfishly, that you keep writing here or somewhere since I -like so many of us here- value and appreciate what you say. I hope you take comfort in your wonderful family.
I’ve read your posts about this blocklist, as well as several other posts and social media posts. I also watched as your presence on Mastodon quickly devolved into chaos. It seems that once the offense has occurred, whether true or not true or in-between (perceived) there is no escape. Apologies and clarification are blown off. Insincere, they say. At this point it seems as if some people will simply never, ever stop dogpiling you, no matter what you do.
Now I don’t know you from Adam. I was barely aware of you on TNG (my era was more ST original) so I had to do a lot of reading to try and get a feel for your personality and intention. I’m just some dude, so my opinion is just as valid/invalid as any other random person, but fwiw, you seem like a generally good person who occasionally says something a bit off. Me too. In spades. The difference is I don’t have 3 million + people reading my every word. I think if I did, well, I wouldn’t. Meaning, I completely understand if you want to get off the crazy social media microblogging masochism ride.
I’m still kinda pissed how this went down on Mastodon, and I’m debating my next steps. How do you deal with people who are oppressed in real life when they appear to be turning into angry mobs chasing every supposed Frankenstein out of town? I don’t want to start sounding like the misogynist gamergater or alt-right whiners. In the end, I may just follow your lead. I followed you off Twitter, I’m surprisingly thinking I may end up doing the same on Mastodon after 15 months.
Here’s to making the world a better place. I just hope that doesn’t mean watching it all burn down from a safe distance…
Sorry to hear about all the crap you dealt with. Thank you for continuing to share your thoughts and opinions freely and honestly.
Twitter is just awful. Social media in general seems awful. I want to connect with people, to see pictures of dogs, babies, and fun places to visit. I want to cheer on people in their accomplishments. The last thing I want is to be bombarded with hate and lies, and that seems like social media’s modus operandi. Wil, I don’t know you personally, but you seem like a really decent fellow who has put up with enough shit from people. Good on you for saying, “enough!”
We are all looking for our tribes. When we are kids it was easier to look around and find friends or people with shared interests. As a adult now it seems like our world is becoming very insular and it is hard to look around and find those people. But, I hope you keep looking.
I’m so sorry to hear all of this. I enjoy your posts on the Tumblr very much, but I don’t blame you if you leave that behind too. Whatever supports your mental health is the right thing to do. Take care!
I am so sorry this happened to you and I am so angry that humanity is a frakking waste of our planet. I cannot change anything, but if it helps even the slightest, just know there are people out there that don’t condone this. People that WANT there to be a place like “Old Twitter” where we can have friends-we-haven’t-met-yet and share dumb jokes and cat photos. The helplessness I feel just reading your post makes me want to rage quit the world. Don’t let the haters win.
Preach! I’m all for a social media platform full of interest, humor, pet pictures, kindness and mutual respect. But, until that happens…social media is pretty much a no-go for me. I can’t stomach the hate and the sheer amount of idiotic morons just posting away without a second thought or even a shred of common decency.
Oh, and you’re awesome. Don’t change or stay silent!
Hey Wil, This made me cry. I wish I could be your neighbor or something, just so that I could remind you every day, in person and looking you in the eye, that you are fabulous and deserve so much better. You have been a good friend to a huge community of people and I admire your attitude and thoughtful perspectives that you share so often. I hope I continue to see your posts here and on tumblr, but if I don’t, I understand. You deserve to live a life without all that negativity directed at you. Thank you for everything you’ve done for so many marginalized folks, and please know that you have made a real and positive impact out here. You are a very special person.
and.. people like that.. .are just the same as the Trumpettes and the (totally disgusting) gaters. They are just as uninformed but more importantly.. just as intolerant. They think they are ‘all that’ and a bag of chips… but for them to have driven you off of their site? They are obviously just ignorant. I’m sorry you went through that.
This wounds my soul. You’ve only ever used media to put positive things in the world. I understand why it’s necessary for you to pull back. Putting yourself first is a must in such a toxic environment. Stay strong. Those of us that actually pay attention know the truth of who you are and what you stand for. We’ve got your back.
We miss you on CoSo, Wil! <3 🙁 We’ll be here when (and if) you’re ready, ready with hugs and silliness.
Ugh! I’m so sorry, Wil! Why are people so crappy?! I just want you to know that I’ve been a fan of yours for a very long time and I’ve followed you through social media–not in a creepy way, I swear! 🙂 Your posts and your blog been very uplifting and you don’t deserve the treatment you’ve received! I hope I still see you on Instagram, at least, but if not just know that you can add me to the pile of people who support you and whose lives you’ve altered by being the kind and caring person that you are!
Wil,
I got off of all social media last October and it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. My anxiety is less and I don’t worry as much. Maybe my head is in the sand, but I’m much, much happier. I hope you will be too. Social media is one of the worst, most destructive inventions in recent history in my opinion, and I really think you’ll be better off without it. Good luck. You’re a good person Wil Wheaton.
Mr. Wheaton, I know a little too formal but that’s how I was raised. Many years ago you happened to be shopping at FAO Schwarz while I was working there. Being a Star Trek fan I recognized you immediately. I was probably breaking some store policy but I asked and you gave me an awesome signature that read “Thanks for watching Star Trek.” You were a wonderful person then and now. Don’t let anyone tell you different! Thank you also for helping to eradicate the stigma of mental illness. I suffer from it as well. Peace
I’m so sorry, Wil. I’ve seen more and more people retreating from SM, or open SM, because of this. It seems that the ‘social’ in Social Media has been well forgotten, and fans seem to lose sight of the fact that celebs and stars are just people when it all boils down. I’ve always felt privileged to be able to follow the goings on of those I am a fan of, and I take much delight in finding them to follow on twitter. However, in saying that, I’d much prefer to know you all are safe and sound, and not getting abused for whatever reason. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and feelings, whether they are fun or not. Thank you for the roles you have played in the entertainment industry. Thank you the most for the morning hair posts on IG, I have enjoyed them to no end, and I think they are what made me a bigger fan. xx
I’m sorry, Wil. I’m genuinely sorry.
I’ll be honest, I’m not a fan – I had to delete an entire account because of that blocklist so I’ve always harbored some grudges. I do respect that you owned up to your role in unintentionally getting a bunch of trans people blocked out though.
That said… I’m frankly embarassed about how things went down. Now that you’re gone, people are STILL harassing the moderators – even from instances other than the one you were on. That’s fucking unacceptable and it pisses me off. I really can’t in good faith recommend Mastodon to people the way things are going right now. It really doesn’t help that a lot of the “bad actors” are recent members that came to Mastodon for similar reasons and brought Twitter culture with them… but I wish I could say that this was the only reason it happened. It’s not. The Mastodon part of the community is still in many ways young and immature and it’s a constant source of frustration for me.
I hope one day you can find a better experience in the Fediverse. Or even start your own instance! Best of luck – Rhys
p.s. im gonna miss your Bob Ross paintings, please keep up with the practice. You got a lot of potential.
Hey Wil. I don’t know you and you don’t know me. And I don’t really know how I can help, apart to say that I’m sorry to read all of this and to let you know that despite the weird unwarranted hate, there’s a lot of people who love what you do, myself included.
WWdN loves you, Wil. Keep doing things that make you happy and supports your family. internet hug Fark the haters.
With respect to any decisions you make about how available you are online, I do hope that you continue to share your thoughtful and insightful blogs with us via your website/blog.
You are appreciated.
Thank you.
It really stinks that you’re being treated so shitty…I honestly don’t know what is wrong with people, I’m glad I never signed up for Twitter, tho’ some people I know seem to manage to stay fairly “safe” there. Been following you on Tumblr and WordPress for a while, I always enjoy your posts, and stuff. Cute doggy pic, their soulful eyes always get the job done. Happy thoughts, my friend!
Not quite a solution that you may be looking for Wil, but you could spin up your own instance of Mastodon instead. I know there is a website run by a single person who manages the upgrades/server end of it all and everything, so you’d just be paying for hosting and whatever you wanted the domain to be. You’d be in full control and the admin of it. Can even request him to just manage upgrades/security, and self-host it somewhere you please if you want more control over the instance’s data.
You’d probably still get attacked, but then you can silence those attackers without blocking them, you just won’t see their interactions. Some instances may block you, but I’m sure a good majority wouldn’t. You don’t seem to have ill intentions and may have mis-stepped by accident in the past, but this mob mentality and attacking people is ridiculous and I wish the world would cut it out already. It just serves to brew hatred and split people up.
I followed you to Mastodon and was not thrilled from day one, but I remember not understanding Twitter when I first found it, so I thought “give it time”.
You and Anne & Alyssa Milano & Jenny Lawson were the first celebrities I followed on Twitter. The three of you made me love Twitter. Now I see the pure hatred that the all of you are handed while Dorsey does nothing. I see the foul, vile things “fans” comment to showrunner Julie Plec because they didn’t like a storyline in a recent finale to her series, “The Originals”.
And then there are the Nazis and Trumpelstilskin.
It’s too much.
I left Twitter once because it provoked my depression. I was gone four years, and came back because I missed people like you. And I realized today I’ve got to quit again, this time for good, because my mood has definitely shifted.
I’m sorry to no longer have the fun place where I get to “hang out” with the cool kids like you, Anne, Alyssa, Jenny, Julie, and the witty banter that Twitter used to be.
So I will read you here, watch you when you’re on TV or in a movie, or I will read books you write. If they announce you’re reading the phone book at a Denny’s, I will do my damnedest to get there to see & hear you.
Because you’re a genuinely good person and I admire you, I respect you, and I just genuinely like you. It’s getting harder to find the ones like you, so I’m following you wherever you go (but not in a creepy you need security way, just from afar).
Oh man, I am so sorry Wil! I had an account at Twitter that I haven’t used in years, and shut it down completely after you did so. It’s just not fair that the world is so full of monsters and trolls these days.
I avoid most social media. The things said and done on those sites tends to be things most people would never do or say in public or to your face. I tend to not want to dislike people that I know.
I grew up watching you on Star Trek. I used to yell At the crew to listen to you. I was a kid, I was totally and completely rooting for you.
I grew up, got married, had a couple kids, never grew out of my awkward phase. I found you on YouTube playing some of my favorite board games. I rooted for you to win even when I knew you were going to absolutely lose.
What I’m really saying is…I think you’re pretty cool, and I’m still rooting for you. Nobody worth their salt believes the stupidity.
But I’m still going to tell my teenage son “Shut up Wesley!” When he’s being a pest. Just know it’s always with a laugh.
Hey Wil. I’m so sorry. I’m always going to be here reading your blog and supporting you. I know for a fact you aren’t the person these people are saying you are. You’ve been so incredibly kind to me. I swear to God that I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it wasn’t for you. Thank you for being such a huge impact on my life. Thanks for bringing light in my life. I was in a dark place before I met you. So, thank you for being you. I hope Anne, Ryan, Nolan, Watson, Marlowe and Seamus are well. I love seeing your Bob Ross paintings on Instagram. Sending all my love.
You’re the best, Sam.
In what I have seen you share, what I have watched you create, and what I have seen you celebrate through WordPress and Tumblr and more, I have decided for myself that you are a decent person. And you actively try to improve yourself as a person, which is even more important.
Your creative ventures have spurred me to play more games, to pick up my old novel project, and to take better care of myself when voices (real or silent) try to tell me I don’t deserve it. For that I am thankful, and I genuinely hope good things happen to you and your family.
And I’ll be shutting down my own Mastodon account, too. That shit ain’t a community I want to be part of, even in my introvert, peripheral way.
Sadly you’ve pretty much nailed social media. I never got into Twitter and have gotten my teen son to stay away also. I have seen how social media can destroy a person’s self esteem. It really is a sad thing that hate is winning this round.
I’ve watched you on Star Trek, Dark Matter, and The Big Bang Theory as well as Table Top. I have cursed you (in jest) as I purchased yet another game. Honestly I would love to sit down with you and just play a game or two, not because you’re famous but because I think it would be a total blast.
Stay positive and take care of yourself.
Just wanted to tell you from one depression sufferer to another. I love you Wil. You do you, whatever that is. Have fun with the wife and fur babies!
Wil, are you quitting CounterSocial too? You & I interacted a few times on Twitter (I am @BhanLiz there) & I am on CS too. But if it is as bad as Twitter, I’ll quit it.
CS doesn’t seem to have the same problems as all the other places, I think because it’s much smaller and run by someone who has zero time for shitty people. I don’t plan to leave it, but I don’t know how much I’ll use it, since I’m making an effort to purge social media entirely from my life.
I’m so sorry to hear you’ve been reduced to thinking all the social media nonsense could actually have some validity… because that is absolute crap. I’ve been reading since atleast 2012 and can safely say you are a good person haters like burning in effigy for their own entertainment which is not civil behavior. As a fellow depression-battler I can appreciate how it can feel so real and isolating – when I had a major breakdown back in 2013 I actually even gave up reading the news for a year and shunned all social media… and it was the happiest I have been in years. I used to have to stay current with all that crap for work so when I quit my job I gave myself permission to not have to do that and it was magical. I even started my own business and was super successful without using any of it (except a personal blog for family). You may be in a similar place, but I challenge you to try a detox period and see if you can do without it. The idea seemed impossible to me until I was forced to do it and then is seemed silly afterwards that I hadn’t done it sooner. I’m still not on social media and my brain thanks me daily for giving it one less layer of noise to sort through. I’ve posted here occasionally over the years and never know if it helps you, but I hope it does as you’ve brought me laughter and joy and insight over the years. Hugs.