I left my teens a long time ago, but I’m still constantly asked how high school is going for me. There is plenty of risk for an adult with this. Some of us just look like kids forever. 😬

I work an outdoor job in another hot state. We typically take a water and shade break every forty-five minutes or so for about fifteen minutes. Not having those breaks, especially when we’re in head to toe PPE, would kill most of us and we’re used to it.

I was using Sync for years and years. This month, I deleted all my Reddit accounts. That was a well polished app and I’ll definitely miss it, but I’m not really missing Reddit itself.

I’m embarrassed to admit how long it took me to find the search function in Jerboa. I almost never click the communities list tab so I never noticed it had the search.

I’ve been through a lot of social media sites over the years. MySpace, Facebook, Twitter. I think you’ve got the right idea avoiding them all at this point! LOL

And I 100% agree regarding third party apps and open protocols. I tried several Reddit apps before Sync really grabbed me. I thought it was so neat having so many options, something I hadn’t seen since the early days of the internet. And then Reddit had to ruin a good thing and take all those away.

I do think the fediverse has the right idea. We shouldn’t all be crammed into a single “one size fits all” site. Now we just need some good apps to go with it!

I’m all for a good debate. I frequented the technology subreddits since they’re related to my work and I love a good OS or language debate. I’ve learned a lot from hearing other people’s arguments. So that all sounds like friendly banter to me!

I do think the smaller the subreddit, the safer you are. Most of my best experiences are in those subreddits. I just found myself wishing I could explore Reddit a bit more without walking away bummed out by all the hate. It’s hard finding a good subreddit.

That’s a relief to hear. There’s been a Twitter shaped hole in my heart since I quit. I think I’d been a Twitter user since my freshman year of college and I’m in my 30s now. LOL

You’ve convinced me to give Mastodon a chance! Thank you for your reassurance. It really does sound like what Twitter should have been.

I joined my state’s subreddit to keep an eye on local happenings. Our news outlets aren’t the best, so it was a good way to hear what was going on. For the most part, it was a good community. But there was always a handful of people who had to argue equal rights every time it came up and it was disheartening to see the same hate every single time.

Apparently I should get into photography, because your experience on Reddit sounds so chill! LOL

Oh geez. Twitter is such a nightmare. I had to quit last year when things started getting bad. I haven’t dipped my toes in Mastodon. Has your experience been much more positive? I’m scared I’ll end up stuck in a bad server!

The worst of it, by far, is of course the front page. But some of the subs I can think of off the top of my head where I encountered trans or homophobia are r/Science and even r/Pathfinder2e (if you know anything about the Pathfinder universe, this might seem mind boggling). There was pro LGBTQ+ support in many of these subreddits, but there was always a comment or a debate or whatever in every queer related thread.

The subreddit for the state I live in, while generally supportive, has numerous comments debating my right to exist as a queer person in most threads even vaguely LGBT related. It’s frustrating knowing I could basically only find refuge in LGBT subreddits. Everywhere else, there was always someone making a jab or starting an argument. It’s exhausting.

That’s a real relief to me. I see enough of that living in a very red town in a red state. Online communities are one of my only ways to talk to people who don’t want me gone.

I’ve only been here for a day, but the lack of homophobia and transphobia here compared to Reddit has been a breath of fresh air. I’m not afraid of posting here like I was on Reddit, where I’d actually have to debate with myself for a minute or two before posting. It’s like finally leaving a bad relationship; now I’m starting to see how bad that all was for my mental health.