I didn’t quit Twitter. In fact, I’ve been more active there than anywhere else. I’m going to write more about my hobbyist Android and NetBSD/vax projects here soon. Stay tuned!

I finally figured out the exact qualities that I dislike about Twitter, and I want to describe how the decision to make my collection of 351,000 tweets private, uninstall the mobile app, and stop using the service on a daily basis, felt so worthwhile and consequential after I did.

This is the first of two essays exploring the reasons why I fell into a deep depression while living and working in Silicon Valley. The Bay Area distills some of the worst excesses of American capitalism. This essay focuses on the deep sadness and loneliness that built up inside me over…