Twitter and Alternative Realities.

Hi,
Opening my Twitter the other day I was greeted by a message from sex abuse denier Jim Jordan, a distasteful individual who is campaigning for re-election in Ohio. This isn’t something calculated to put me in a good mood for the day.

I see this, apparently, because other people I follow have clicked the ‘like’ button in Twitter, and so an algorithm cleverly written by someone who doesn’t know me, or apparently many other people and doesn’t get out very often thinks this is what I’d like to be exposed to first thing in the morning. Elon Musk’s recent takeover of the platform is the latest in a series of episodes that appear to have emboldened right wing psychopaths online, and as far as Twitter goes they now roam unchecked through the landscape much like the ‘walkers’ of the Walking Dead.

Hard as it might be to believe, I do generally practice what I preach with my clients. With this in mind I apply boundaries in much the way I recommend to others. As a result, after 14 years I am stepping away from what has now become a toxic environment that has no guardrails. 

I have to say though, as I deleted the app from my phone, I did feel a sense of freedom. I switched over to Mastodon, like many other Twitter refugees, and I am once more enjoying the small circle of like minded individuals I am gradually connecting with, who very pleasingly seem happy to avoid talking about politics. The term ‘polite society’ springs to mind. I can be found there as @RobHadley  It’s nice to see calming images of boats, occasional kittens and discussions about the firing mechanisms of nineteenth century naval cannons. And they don’t have any algorithms.

I understand Mastodon were a bit unprepared for the flood of refugees that are fleeing Twitter, so their servers are slower at times, but that’s no detraction really.

Anyway, as we head toward the midterms, and the smell of a house on fire wafts toward us from across the border, I thought I might mention to my friends and clients, there are alternatives. And as Twitter becomes nothing more than a toxic swamp, you might want to explore them.

In the meantime I also have a project I am working on called Night Time Visualisations.  This is a series of very mild self hypnosis MP3s to help you get into a comfortable nights sleep. They’re unusual and seem to be very popular with people who have some difficulty sleeping.  You can buy them here – http://www.robhadley.ca/night-time-visualisations/ – or enjoy a free version of one of them in my podcast, which you can find here – https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/2eLIuuUuIub

I hope you enjoy them. I’m adding new episodes regularly, so following the podcast will keep you up to date.

Best wishes,

Rob Hadley

#hypnosis #hypnotherapy