Summary

Fowler analyzes social media engagement across LinkedIn, X, Mastodon, and Bluesky using box plots and strip charts on 19 posts from mid-2026. LinkedIn dominates all engagement metrics (retweets, likes, replies), with X a distant second and the open platforms barely registering. Despite the data making a strong case for abandoning Bluesky and Mastodon, Fowler commits to keeping them because they are open platforms. He also reflects on his broader social media philosophy: posting mainly announcements, preferring RSS and his own 'fragments' posts for sharing thoughts, and actively avoiding algorithmic feeds. The irony he closes on: LinkedIn, the highest-traffic platform, is the one he personally dislikes most because it forces an algorithmic feed he cannot bypass.

Key Insight

Engagement metrics and personal values point in opposite directions: the open platforms Fowler trusts are dying in reach, while the closed algorithmic platforms he distrusts dominate traffic.

Spicy Quotes (click to share)

• 7

  If I were following me, I'd use RSS.

• 5

  Looking at this data, there's a strong argument for stopping announcements on Bluesky and Mastodon, as they get such little response. I will continue with them, however, since they are open platforms.

• 5

  I don't want these services throwing stuff at me to maximize my engagement, their efforts only irritate me.

• 6

  It's sad that the biggest site for me in terms of engagement is also the one I can't stand.

• 2

  LinkedIn has grown a little bit, X has dropped notably, and Bluesky has dropped dramatically.

• 4

  I actively avoid any kind of 'algorithmic' feed.

• 6

  Maybe there's some posts on there that aren't slop (and often AI-generated slop).

Tone

reflective, wry, data-driven