When Signal introduced Stories , I didn't understand why. To me, Signal is all about giving as little information to as few people as possible but still being able to have a social life.

I didn't use any app that had stories. Only a few friends published Instagram stories, and many more followed public stories. I thought of stories as "broadcast content to as many people as possible," which is the opposite of what Signal is about for me.

It turns out I was wrong. Signal lets you curate who can see your stories. By default, all your contacts can see your stories, but you can also create smaller circles of people who will see them, or you can create stories from existing Signal groups.

Since I've realized that social media like Mastodon affect me more (negatively) than I thought , I've significantly reduced what I read and publish there. But I still want to share happy moments with friends. So, I gave Signal stories a go, and it has been more fun and useful than I thought.

When I publish a story on Signal, I know who will read it. It's not for the public, but it's for friends. I can publish more personal things, and people reply more genuinely. Friends ask where I am or how I'm doing at the moment. We listen to each other. And, to my great satisfaction, a few friends have started publishing stories since I started!

I also publish different things on Signal stories than on Mastodon. On Mastodon, I shared thoughts or, let's be honest, hot takes. On Signal, I share moments . I share what I do and experience, not necessarily what I think.

The UX is still a bit clunky, stories feel poorly integrated into Signal, and I don't understand why Signal broadcasts stories to your whole address book by default . But I enjoy having a place where I can share privately and spontaneously what I'm doing with a short list of people I trust and care about.

[!info] Signal is good tech, help them

If you've never tried Signal stories, I strongly encourage you to do so. If you use Signal and can afford it, consider supporting them financially ; they deserve it.

Keep up the good work, Signal. You're an excellent app and a great nonprofit, and I wish more organizations took inspiration from you.