https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/04/eff-leaving-x

Unfortunately, only one of the exercise folks I follow in X are on Bsky

The steep drop in engagement numbers was interesting but not unexpected --but still worse than I would have thought. X is no longer the right demographic for EFF.

X went into a dive after Musk took over but it seems like it gotten worse fast over the last couple of months with ever more AI content.

I follow a tiny number of people on X and mostly do not see AI content. I see a lot of researchers and research-consumers posting links to studies.

But they key is keeping your graph small. I followed a politician recently because I liked his stuff, but will be unfollowing next time I log in because it is definitely polluting my graph.

Never been on X.  I signed in, and never understood the point of it.

>key

Or what you click on.  If I click on something bogus or AI generated my timeline fills up with more of the same for a few days.  Currently, short mini-stories designed to be either self-rightously heartwarming or provoke outrage seem to be "a thing."  Also, lots of AI generated bogus images.  I mean they were always there, but since AI the volume has increased tremendously.

We need a way to watch or follow content without it affecting the normal feed.

Spotify, youtube, facebook, etc I am more careful of what I see/hear due to how it will influence the ongoing feed.

>We need a way to watch or follow content without it affecting the normal feed.
>Spotify, youtube, facebook, etc I am more careful of what I see/hear due to how it will influence the ongoing feed.

Expand on that, Dras. I think I follow you but an example would help.

Meanwhile, Debbie is screaming "DON'T DO JACKSHIT ON YOUR PHONE!!!"

For example, I have family visit who like country music. I'm ok with country but I don't want it on my daily music.

So, that family comes over, an I select a country song or two or playlist. After this, my random music feeds suddenly start introducing country which I don't want to hear on my daily drive. Same thing with youtube, if I need to look up a topic or two, it's later in my home feed when I don't want to see that topic any longer.

I want an "ignore this shit for the next 2 hours" button for content providers to ignore what I'm checking out during that particular time.

Gotcha. I was thinking along the lines of rss & filters.

Sounds like a job for a 2nd personae or DB Cooper account. Both are a PITA to actually use, though.

For me it would have to be retrospective as well

Quote from: Rupert on April 13, 2026, 08:08:47 PMNever been on X.  I signed in, and never understood the point of it.

A friend got me to sign up when it was new. It was amusing, but I also didn't see the point. Now I use it somewhat regularly (was on a bit of a binge in February when I was down sick).

I would never suggest someone *should* check it out. Quite the opposite. But just to give two versions of why someone might see the point of it.

The friend who got me on is an early adopter of everything. He is in his mid-80s, PhD in physics, 1960s radical, author, long-time interest in technology and its social implications. First person I knew on Twitter. First I knew with an iPhone (before he could even get service in his area so it was actually a fancy iPod). First I knew on Bluesky (he heard Trump didn't like it, so that was enough for him).

Anyway, his use case for Twitter was to find graduate students working on dissertations that he found interesting and follow them. That gave him insight into where fields he was interested were headed. And also, since most research results in failure and most publication covers only the successes, it gave him an insight into the fields in real time, including the failures. As an outsider, that was traditionally opaque.

After a long absence, I started using it again when I started reading more exercise physiology. A lot of top researchers and coaches have a really good presence on there.

For example, two of the maybe top five active researchers in muscle protein synthesis are Stu Philips and Luc Van Loon. Don Layman is a bit older and is the godfather of MPS research. Both Layman and Philips are on X and Van Loon's lab regularly posts, though he doesn't post personally. Also, a couple of Don Layman's students are on there, including Layne Norton who did his thesis on leucine, which has gotten a lot of attention lately for its importance in MPS signalling.

I have been able to ask questions directly to Stu Philips, Don Layman and Layne Norton. It's kind of crazy as a non-scientist to have that sort of access to the top people in the field.

Similarly, I think the top two people researching lactate are George Brooks who, like Don Layman is in his 70s now, and Inigo San Millan. Inigo is also a former pro bike racer and was coaching Tadei Pogacar. Inigo is on X and quite friendly and willing to answer questions. And Inigo has collaborated a lot with Brooks, so you kind of get that perspective.

Again, to me it is interesting stuff.

I also follow a couple of authors whose books I have enjoyed (Stewart Brand and Charles C. Mann) and a couple of journalists.

The key for me is to follow a small number of people who post good stuff and not venture into areas with dragons.  For example, there are some top people whose opinions I really value, but they get bound up in responding to the grifters and BS artists. As much as I respect their research, I unfollow those people because I'm not really interested in some carnivore or vegan or keto activist or some grifter who claims that morning coffee is super bad for you.

I went to sign up when it started to grow legs. Someone already had my nick and had caused it to be banned.  I already had too many feeds and wasn't too interested anyway.

The first time I tried to sign up for something and "ergophobe" was already taken I was outraged.

I think it might have been Twitter. I just looked and ergophobe got taken in 2008.