It's out today! Print, ebook, and audiobook (read by me)! Talking Across the Divide is my step-by-step guide for having those difficult conversations with people on the issues you care about—whether it's politics, faith, or even just a family squabble. https://t.co/fsweCdKDqU

As for my future on Twitter, I'm not sure. I'm taking things one day at a time. Balancing online life and offline life is hard, regardless of platform, and I'm still learning.

For me, this is ultimately about finding a space where social media can actually feel social again, where we’re in control and not someone else’s invisible, manipulative algorithms. Will this be a solution? I don't know. But it's a problem we must solve as humans.

None of this is about Elon Musk for me—though the controversy surrounding him is likely why I heard about Mastodon in this moment. I’ve been similarly pulling away from other social media as well for a long time, but I still crave that interaction with people.

For the curious who weren’t aware of Mastodon (I wasn’t), setting up an account there is slightly different because you choose a server first—but whichever server you choose, you still get to interact with people across all servers. Details here:

First impression: Mastodon seems to be trying to build a community that is kinder and more nuanced, which I like. I’ve created an account here to give it a shot: https://t.co/JVy32gZuty I don’t have thousands of followers there, but I’d rather be nuanced than be loud.

A friend just pointed me to Mastodon as an alternative. It's very Twitter-like but decentralized and built with more transparency—without the same sorts of manipulative algorithms, they say. It's getting a lot of attention in the wake of all the Twitter controversy.

The algorithms reward engagement but penalize moderation and self-control: Having a healthy balance of time away from social media may result in algorithms de-prioritizing your content, so we're trained to be always posting, always engaging, making us slaves to our screens.

Attempts to find common ground and decency are, more often than not, drowned out by the algorithms in favor of those things that make us mad—either mad at the person posting or mad at the people they’re pointing a finger at.

The algorithms can magnify disagreements, discourage nuance, and encourage division simply by boosting content that generates controversy. They keep us engaged on the platform, but at the cost of our mental health and ability to understand each other.

But I’ve been increasingly frustrated with the culture of finger-pointing, oversimplifying, and lack of nuance that I’ve seen thrive on Twitter. And I’ve been discouraged by how the algorithms used by social media manipulate us in ways we don’t realize we’re being manipulated.

Twitter says I currently have 12,700 followers. To me, that’s a lot of people—though it’s nothing compared to folks with millions. The idea of having thousands of people read what you write can be really cool, and it's very useful in spreading ideas.

But my own gradual pull away from Twitter started a long time ago and had nothing to do with Mr. Musk.

So much of the discussion about Twitter lately has been about Elon Musk and what he will do with the platform. There are a bunch of legitimate things to discuss here, and it’s frustrating that so much of it has been politically polarized (yet again).

My current thoughts on Twitter: (thread)

Our last 2 speakers aren’t new to the CenterPeace Conference - @geekyJustinLee is a favorite! We’ll also hear an encouraging word from me! Early reg thru July 31, so sign up now & save! Whether VIRTUAL or IN-PERSON, get your place @ the table!” https://t.co/K6hBPbH67G #cpcon22

"Gay"...or "same-sex attracted"? This video started out as a simple question of language. After many hours of research, it ended up being about something far deeper. https://t.co/PvMpASbYDd

I finally watched Die Hard for the first time last night and now I understand so many cultural references. Maybe one day I’ll get around to Titanic.

"Jesus said to forgive." But what if they never apologize? What if you're still suffering? What if they're getting away with an injustice? What if you just can't find it in your heart? This is the raw, brutally honest workshop I never knew I needed. https://t.co/noeWzTd0ON

It makes me happy to hear news of people caring more about others than themselves. This is the sort of person we should all aspire to be. https://t.co/sL1MDbdXu8

This meme from Reddit user tomfow really hits the nail on the head. This is unfortunately how it feels in many churches.