I should have started using Weibo more than ten years ago, but now I have decided to abandon it.
Thinking back to the past, Weibo held an important place in my heart. The iconic red eye logo always appeared on the homepage of my Symbian phone. Countless nights spent huddled over a cup, pressing the number keys back and forth, sharing uneventful moments of life, hoping to receive even just one comment or follow. It was a wonderful anticipation.
I used Weibo mostly to record my emotions and experiences, rarely reposting others' updates. I felt that it was an outlet for my expression, and I didn't want people who followed me to see anything other than my own updates. Reposting felt like an invasive action. Although these reposted updates to some extent reflected the preferences of the reposters, they were ultimately different from my own updates. Those who followed me, I believe they did so because of certain aspects of myself, not to follow my preferences, and I respect them. Therefore, more than ninety percent of my thousands of Weibo posts are original. Whether it's about life or opinions, they are all written by me, and I take responsibility for them. They are also a part of me.
Many people may be surprised that Weibo, which has become a cesspool, is still being used by decent people. Weibo has indeed become a cesspool, and I am a decent person, but I do use it. As mentioned earlier, I mainly use Weibo to record and follow my friends' updates. As for how it has developed in other aspects, or how trolls prevail, what does it have to do with me? I stay in my own corner, enjoying my own peace.
And now I have decided to abandon it, for reasons related to the two aspects that matter most to me. On one hand, it has become increasingly closed off, and on the other hand, meaningful things are being mixed with countless repetitive and shoddy content. The former affects my output, and the latter makes me feel bored. For example, when I share something and sometimes need to input a link from another website, it tells me that I can't post it due to a violation of rules. This closed environment is shocking. Another reason that has kept me using it for years has recently collapsed: my friends' updates are mixed with a large number of celebrity updates and miscellaneous topics. I have no interest in these Weibo posts at all. I only care about my friends' updates, but their reposts greatly dilute their own updates. I wanted to block certain keywords to reduce these boring Weibo posts on my timeline, but the Weibo platform told me that I have to become a member to use the blocking feature - it's like saying, "I'll feed you shit, and you can choose not to eat it, but you have to pay for it. If you don't pay, keep eating it." What makes me even more angry is that even as my own content (or so I believe), if I want to hide it for six months, I have to become a member. At this moment, I am completely hopeless about this platform.
With no freedom of expression and no reason to linger, why should I continue to stay? I will archive it.