The latest chaos over on Meta has me exploring ways to make an exit from their platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Threads), and although I can’t disappear in a one dramatic ‘poof’ I am thinking about how I can make an exit and find new tools to fill the gaps.
Probably the main thing I’ll find hard to give up is Manneke’s (my dog and bestest sidekick) Instagram presence, which documents his whole life and connects us to a community of gorgeous dogs and cats and their crazy humans. I have used this space to record all his exploits, we’ve met lots of doggy people, I’ve marketed our dog toys and I’ve shared the highs and lows of being a furbaby Mama. It’s a precious collection of images and a lovely community, and I don’t want to lose the ability to share these quick updates, silly posts and special moment.
However, Suckerberg sucks, more than ever, and doesn’t deserve my content on his platforms anymore. So, it’s time to experiment with Pixelfed in the Fediverse and start creating an exit strategy.
What is Pixelfed?
Pixelfed is a free, open-source social network for sharing photos. It’s decentralized and using the ActivityPub protocol to connect it to the Fediverse.
Pixelfed has similar features to Instgram (chronological timeline, photosharing, friends, likes, shares etc. But it has a few important differences – No tech oligarchs making mad decisions, no algorithms manipulating the feed, and no-one selling content or feeding it to AI machines.
There are some great PixelFed communities already and you should definitely explore either joining one, or hosting your own instance if you’re at all interested in online, social photosharing.
FAQs
Will I be starting a PixelFed Server for other users? No – probably not in at least the short-term (tho you know I’m prone to crazy project ideas, so I won’t say never!).
Will you leave Instagram soon? Not yet, but soon. Until this space replaces it, I’ll cross-post and try to grow our presence in the Fedi. Maybe I can tempt a few other crazy dog ladies to join us in the fedi too!
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