I have platform fatigue. I’ve been using Substack and Discord pretty heavily the last few years but there are some signs that signal these platforms are both going to go the way of all tech/disruption/social platforms – what Corey Doctorow calls ‘enshitification’. Substack feels increasingly monopolistic and VC driven. Discord is reportedly getting ready for an IPO – which means it will be driven by number go up investors and that generally means things users use most start to cost money. Still, these are the two easiest places to find most of what I’m doing beyond right here on Vagobond.com
In addition, I still have a US phone number on the T-Mobile ‘digits’ platform which is only worth about the $10 I pay each month for it and I have a Japanese phone number that is mostly only used to have data for FaceTime, the platforms below (and t-mobile) on my phone. It’s funny to say, but the old days of a hand written phone book and an Internet cafe were far simpler. Skype was such a revelation allowing free calls around the world – but now RIP Skype.
Vagobond Community Substack: https://vagobond.substack.com
Baoism Discord Server: https://discord.gg/FeuNMr2eht
Platforms that aren’t devoid of hope yet:
Warpcast: vagobond
Bluesky: vagobond
Pixelfed: vagobond
Zora: vagobond
Signal: cdv.77
Mastodon: https://mastodon.social/@Vagobond
T2 World: https://app.t2.world/u/0x9346f1d460cbc0fca01997f1e5940fd55675173d
Lens Protocol: https://hey.xyz/u/vagobond
Chinese and Japanese Platforms
Rednote: vagobond
TikTok: @vagobond1
WeChat: vagobond1924
LINE: vagobond
American Billionaire Corporate Platforms – username: Vagobond
x-Twitter: Profile there but I almost never use this Nazi owned platform unless I have to for a login or want to promote something, reshare. Sort of locked in it from some other platform logins. Deleted from phone.
Facebook: I still check in here to see what friends and family who are or became boomers are doing. Deleted from phone.
Instagram: I stopped posting here because Zuckerberg joined the Nazi party. Deleted from phone.
Linkedin: Not as bad as the three above, sometimes useful. https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-damitio/
Telegram: I just don’t like using it. @CD_Vagobond
Pinterest: Almost no interest in using this.
Messenger: Meta-owned but essential for keeping in touch with some people
WhatsApp: Meta-owned but like Messenger essential for keeping in touch with some people
Zoom: Coporate but useful
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@vagobond
Medium – VC funded, privately held.
Other Things: I feel like any of these could disappear at any time
Couchsurfing (vagobond) – I suppose it is worth the annual fee just to sometimes make a cool new friend but not even close to what it used to be when it was free.