@pilchard 15 years ago. 9 years before TikTok #Seesmic

@pilchard and again... #Seesmic

@pilchard Flashback? #Seesmic

Today I posted my first video on Instagram.

And the algorithm rewarded me. I was made very welcome as it told others I'd arrived. I guess it was an experiment to see if I'd feel like sharing more.

Years ago, maybe 15 years, 5 years before the likes of Vine and it's ilk, the video blogging community was thriving in places void of nefarious algorithms.

Simple post and respond sites. Short video moments shared around the world connecting people. Yes it was addictive. But it wasn't because the platform told us to share. It was because we were connecting in richer, deeper ways than ever before.

The servers filled with stories, thoughts, conversations and those little moments that make us human.

When you care about the community, you care about you're interactions and the shared culture that develops.

Then it was all turned off and with little notice those moments were lost. Deleted with the context, replies and metadata. If it wasn't for some tech savvy members of the community I'd have lost over 6000 videos.

Some were saved but much is missing. The glue that held them all together is gone.

Since then I have always asked the platform I'm sharing to, how long they plan protect the stories. It's not normally something they have thought about.

And so those that remember, care less, share less, and alongside the dark patterns and manipulative algorithms we hold something back.

https://www.instagram.com/documentally/

#Seesmic #vlogging #stories #video #instagram

@tychi A #seesmic hashtag may help others find your toot.

(Supplied here.)