The World Wide Web, Social Media, and Beyond

January 25, 2025

Quick links to click on (read on for my rambling thoughts on this whole mess):

If you’re middle-aged like me, you remember the early days of the internet. Magic wires connected to computers were going to bring art and commerce right into your home! The knowledge of the world at your fingertips! A new egalitarian age of equality!

Welp. Instead we have a few good memes but mostly a lot of very bad things and evil billionaires trying to ruin our lives. Social media, which seemed like the invention of the century, has become a real cesspool of algorithms pushing hate and misogyny and transphobia down your throat. So where do we go from here?

I left Twitter when that man who makes N*zi gestures bought it, but that was also an easier decision for me because twitter never really drove my business. I just used it to cause trouble and complain.

Leaving Facebook and Instagram is harder. I still have a large following on both and they still help my business advertise a sale or an event, although the reach is nowhere near what it once was. At this point these sites are so woven into the fabric of our lives that they’re almost like public utilities. As a business owner, it’s still the way a lot of folks engage with me and unfortunately I can’t afford to leave. Which sucks.

This is 21st century life, unfortunately. We all have to take our own stands on which evil idiot billionaire we send money to and which we don’t. Like I’ve always said with Amazon; I’d love it if you didn’t shop there, but if it’s your only option because it’s what you can afford? I totally get it. And all of our options are limited.

So I am staying on FB and IG, for now. I’m also on Bluesky (click here to follow me) and will make an effort to post more there. I am cautious about it because, look, it’s gonna be the same as everything else. As it gets more popular, they’ll sell to someone else, and it’ll get worse That’s how everything goes now.

What’s the alternative, then? Well, the more I’ve thought about it, I think the answer for Alternate Histories is all about continuing to build community, but doing it through email and in-person.

I’m making a point to be more diligent about my email newsletters, sending them out every Friday (or so), and not having them just be a list of what I have on sale. Maybe you want to hear what I thought about the new Nosferatu (not horny enough!) or new music (check out the new single “Last Forever” from Patchwork, Inc) or whatever! You can sign up for my newsletter by clicking here.

The harder part is trying to develop the Alternate Histories Studio into more of a space that is part of the neighborhood and community. I’m still figuring this out, whether it means more hours, more products, more staff, etc. That’s why I’m asking you (especially if you live in Pittsburgh and ESPECIALLY if you live in Greenfield) to take this survey about what you’re looking for from Alternate Histories.

The more I can bring folks into my studio to say hello, learn your name, and interact face to face, the better it is for everyone, especially if Alternate Histories can become a community hub and not just someone you follow on Instagram. And as always THANK YOU for supporting me and my business. I’m looking forward to the next steps.