The big social media platforms were fun for a while, and they brought people together in a way the old internet couldn't. Creating an account on Twitter or Facebook is infinitely easier than learning how to host your own website, after all. These platforms gave some people their first opportunity to have a voice online. But Twitter, Facebook, and their ilk exacted hidden costs. Social media companies monetize their customers by scraping personal data to better target them with advertising. To keep engagement high, social media companies use algorithmic feeds that keep people scrolling—but can also make them miserable. These companies also frequently ignore bad behavior, including hate speech, apparently accepting human misery as a cost of doing business. They've also been bad stewards of our personal information. In fairness, it may not be possible, or even wise, to quit Twitter or Facebook. I maintain a Twitter account to promote my work and the causes I care about, and my family increasingly turns to Facebook to keep in touch. But I've greatly reduced the time I spend on those platforms and have been happier with the low-key experience of Mastodon, Pixelfed, and others.