It's been just more than two months since I closed my Twitter account and shifted to BlueSky, a similar (and less vitriolic) social media platform that features short messages and images. There are some distinct advantages.
- Posts can be 300 characters, which means I can always put a book review quote in the text.
- Because you specify interest areas when you sign up, I see more about books and a lot less about politics.
- A right column does show trending topics, so you still know what the big news is.
- Fake or phishing accounts seem (my impression) be be closed reasonably quickly.
- The list function is easy to use, so you can group followers by interests.
I'm pretty good at spotting friend requests from bots or phishers. They're the ones (from men) that say how close they are to their daughter, tout their professional skills, or pay profuse compliments. I mute or block them, and eventually can see that many have been deleted. 
Most important, turning on BlueSky is pleasant -- there is no torrent of mocking or hateful comments.
Building followers is steady, but takes work. Every day I follow a few more authors, readers, or generally interesting people. Some of them follow back. Hashtag use helps people I don't know, who have similar interests, find and follow me.
I do only a few posts each day and alternate between book promotion, quotes on writing, and humor. I have a Master's in government and am interested in what passes for public policy these days, so I read and occasionally comment about the appalling actions of the new administration. I keep it civil, or course. So far, people don't hurl spite back at me.
If you haven't made the transition to BlueSky, consider it. You'll feel less tense, I promise.
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