Is Bluesky Any Different?

How can political movements engage people without overwhelming them

🙏 Thanks: Huge thanks to all of my new subscribers, family, friends, and those who came over from the Keap candle newsletter, a company that is off social media.

💗 Brand Stories - Two of my favorite thinkers on this subject are Keap’s founder, Harry Doull, and business consultant Holly Howard. I hope to share more about them in a future post. For now, check out their stories about being off social as businesses.

• 🎧 Podcast: Free Yourself from Social Media and Rethink Marketing, with Holly Howard on Creative Boom (❛❜There’s a big difference in gaming an algorithm and connecting deeply with a community you’re trying to engage with.)

• 📰 Blog: What You Can Do Without Social Media by Harry Doull on the Keap blog (❛❜We knew we didn’t enjoy the slog of pumping out social media feeds that were fated to be instantly forgotten. So we had to develop an affirmative vision of how working to get the word out might also help us grow as people.)

🤔 Thought Experiments: What if social media disappeared? Like a time capsule to the 1990s, this 2021 article from Egypt Today paints a picture of a world without Instagram & TikTok.

📰 News: LeBron James is pausing his social media accounts, joining a steady stream of other celebrities who are doing the same.

➕ Resources: I’m trying to collect resources, like books, newsletters, podcasts, and groups around social media minimalism, detoxing, etc. that I’ll make available. Check out the list so far, and fill out this form if you have ideas.

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⭐️ Main read After the 2016 election, many of us were making plans to go to Washington to protest the results. Even though it felt sad and scary, there was a sense of collective purpose and action. Fast forward to today: instead of venting their anger on social media, many are either avoiding it entirely, deleting apps, or deactivating accounts — particularly leaving X and exploring alternatives like Bluesky (more on that 👇). This leads me to a question I’ve been thinking about for awhile: Has social media made political engagement more difficult? And if so, why?

I’d love to hear your thoughts about social media and what role it has—or doesn’t have—in your life.

For me it comes down to this: with social media, there’s no space for rest. We no longer have the pauses we once did—between the morning paper and the nightly news. Instead, we’re caught in a relentless loop of notifications, posts, and updates.

Bluesky, as an alternate to X, could try to experiment with break periods — minutes or even an hours of the day when the site goes down, giving people a chance to breathe.

For the last several election cycles, this relentless loop has set the pace and messaging of campaign marketing. Political action in the digital era is characterized by a constant sense of urgency, with messages that make us feel angry or scared. It can leave us with a feeling of burnout, overwhelm, and numbness that can translate to apathy: no matter what we do, it’s never enough. So why do anything?

This year, I got a barrage of texts seeking money and volunteer time. Though each spoke with urgency, the unending stream rendered them ambient. I did less politically this year than in past years. I take responsibility for that. But I wonder if I’m not alone.

How can a campaign break through if people feel inundated with messages about fundraising deadlines and Trump’s latest outrage. One way is the way Trump has broken through — anger and entertainment. When we are dulled by an overload of information, we respond to what is loudest and most provocative. [And it’s important to note that this tactic has well preceded the age of social media].

The challenge for political movements that are seeking positive change in the world is how to engage people without overwhelming them.

But eventually, being angry and entertained will have a shelf life.

We need to ask: why are so many people disconnecting when things are arguably more grave than eight years ago? I think there’s a lack of genuine energy and a lack of authenticity in a lot of social media communications. This is what happens when people either (1) feel like they need to be posting or (2) are posting because they’re addicted.

I think we could be more energized, more focused, and more committed if we weren’t drowning in information and calls to action. If we took collective breaks, I think we might arrive at a clarity that would give us strength to fight harder for what matters. Breaks could also help us connect better with our in-person communities, and break away from digital isolation.

My favorite kind of blue sky is the real one

In some ways, what I’m writing about seems like a silly fantasy given the gravity of what we face today. I don’t want to minimize the real urgency of the election results. It will be important and necessary to stay engaged with the news.

The challenge for individuals and political movements that are seeking positive change in the world is how to engage people in this extremely challenging climate. There are calls to follow the same playbook as the current winners—flooding social media and creating provocative podcasts—but would offering an alternate rather than a competing model work better? (Take for instance a different type of social network called Front Porch or in-person events that offer an antidote to loneliness of screens).

At the very least, Bluesky, the new alternative to X, could try to experiment with break periods — minutes or even an hours of the day when the site goes down, giving people a chance to breathe.

And all of us can go more analog—see friends in person, reach to the people who aren’t on social media. Delete or de-activate the apps. Connect with people. This won’t be easy. I struggle with it every day. But I do believe it’s also the most important thing that we have. Happy holidays this week to those who celebrate, and please don’t hesitate to reach out if any of this spoke to you.