Thoughts of a Normie in the ATmosphere

I think it's important for more average people to adopt and try new things. But it feels like I, personally, get a heavy dose of "one of these is not like the others" at times.

As an example, many Sifa ID daily featured accounts are developers, founders, engineers, etc. Professionals in their field. Or, at the very least, enthusiasts with the skills/experience to back it up. Then there's me; a transcriptionist/captioner QA tech-enthusiast. And this isn't an attack on Bluesky, ATproto, the broader ATmosphere, or Sifa ID. But in a sea of tech-forward people building upon the platform, game devs, artists, politicians, doctors, or other "people of note," I'm just along for the ride and vibes due to a fixation on, and wanting to be part of, "the new thing." (It's exciting!)

More narrowly, Bluesky has been a breath of fresh air in the social media space. Likewise, with it, the AT Protocol has been a step in the right direction of data ownership and control and taking data out of the hands of big tech. The application of AT Protocol is only going to expand and get better with time. And I think more likeminded people, everyday people, need to jump in.

There are devs out there bringing new, interesting, or alternative platforms to the ATmosphere every day - and most of the time, it's just for the love of the game. And that does lead to a bit of FOMO. I would love to be a part of it, rather than just a casual observer. But where does one even start?

And this, overall, leads to the subheading. The fear and self-loathing. Maybe that's mostly hyperbole. It's fear in the sense of not being "good enough;" not being the kind of person amongst the other people who inhabit Bluesky. And it's not a self-loathing so much as it's almost a feeling of shame... disappointment... embarrassment?

Being 40 with no applicable skills or direction in life beyond menial office or call center crap, still trying to figure out "what I want to be when I grow up" when, by all accounts, retirement plans should already be lined up. And with borderline debilitating anxiety and a dash of neurodivergence, it's incredibly difficult to find a stable footing in an ever-more-depressing, shrinking, and competitive job market, not to mention a lack of money for schooling, a lack of skills and experience, and a lack of ability to easily learn new skills. That imposter syndrome feeling creeps in, drawing unfair comparisons to those around you. And this specifically creeps in when on browsing Bluesky, where I feel both quite connected with people, but also like an outsider at the same time.

This isn't my first rodeo, but it's the same feeling as usual - I'm an early adopter of a new thing within my (real-life) social group; a group that has little interest in discovering or trying new things in the online space beyond an immediate fulfillment of a direct need. While it's not necessarily lonely, it feels weird being just a regular person here, running on enthusiasm.

This is, of course, just a small glimpse into my experiences - and really a reflection on myself.

We need to figure out how to get more "average" people on Bluesky. From there, the possibilities of ATproto, the ATmosphere, and the importance of data sovereignty will slowly, hopefully, become more understood and apparent to them.

EDIT: Just wanted to say that I am medicated for both anxiety and depression. :)