So I've been thinking about the events of the past week, and it has become abundantly clear that Masto probably isn't the social media solution for people that aren't white, male and cis.
Don't get me wrong. I think it's a great step forward and I'll definitely be actively maintaining my instance. I like what I've built here.
But I need to explore another option that address the needs of the specific communities that I'm a part of.
And I'll probably have to build it myself.
@Are0h So in reality doesn't this mean that no social networks can progress to the point you'd find ideal?
@imag1narynumber Ha, uhm, no.
@imag1narynumber Meaning no, I don't agree that no social networks can progress to the point I'd find ideal.
I think Masto is a significant step forward in terms of how we can use technology to make our social media experience better, but there is a step beyond that involves having to deal with people that cannot be satisfied by assuming people use said technology the same way.
I have found there is a lot of resistance when it comes to dealing with the sheer diversity of needs that is integral to improving our online spaces.
And this is something I feel has to be baked in from the start.
But don't fret. I'm still going to be here doing my thing, but I'm also going to be exploring my own version of what I think social media can be.
I'm pretty close to finalizing some ideas and working my PV4 project to incorporate the lessons I've learned in my time here.
When I'm ready to release them I'll let you know. It's going to be a pretty significant shift, but I think it's a necessary one as well.
Stay tuned, folks. This is where it gets fun.
curiosity about your plans Show more
curiosity about your plans Show more
@Are0h Will it be an ActivityPub-compliant federated social network software, or something completely different?
@pybyte Nah, I love activity pub as a protocol, so it will definitely be federated.
It's a great way to facilitate communication between different experiences, so I'm a big fan.
@kitdarko @Are0h @pybyte a lot of my thoughts definitely are inspired by people in the fediverse who do this kind of work.
Hopefully the project will be able to get a solid start in 2 weeks, and a diverse group from the get-go to take into account a lot of the things I can't see (this is why I don't want to lead it myself).
Wrote case we learnt something in the process.
@maloki I thought you were planning a Mastodon fork, not a whole new project.
@pybyte Yes, it's a fork, but we're focusing on community over code.
So the code isn't forked yet, and so on and so forth.
@Are0h I look forward to hearing about what you make or what you find in your search!
@Alonealastalovedalongthe It's definitely going to be a process, but I think it will be a fun one.
Being on here has really helped me focus on what I really thing is and isn't important when building online communities.
I feel like I'm finally at the point where I can put it all together.
@Are0h i'm sorry it's been such a painful experience, but i'm glad to hear it's a growing one too
@amphetamine I’m not sure how you got ‘painful’ from what I said, because that’s isn’t how I feel.
It’s just been a collection of good and bad experiences that have helped me shape my own ideas of what I think social media can be.
@Are0h what specific aspects do you think are required to get where you want to go?
@pnathan All we be revealed in due time.
@Are0h We've all felt the nagging suspicion that joining yet another social network created by white dudes begets the same results. Safety is a cursory concept they barely comprehend. These networks require Black Queer folks, Black femmes,& Black trans involvement from the onset.
@miql did yall see what happened with blitter?
that went south right quick
@ArtistMarciaX Yo! What happened? I saw it was created by niggas & since we trash, I knew not to fuck with it.
@miql LMAO straight men being straight men ruined that.
I didn't bother bc my spidey catwoman sense were not impressed.
but turned out the creator was an abusive person and went on rants and ppl were just like 'nah'
@Are0h How will you address it? Terms of Service? Consent? Just promoting it as 'not for racists'? Heavy moderation?
Genuinely curious to see how this works...
@donblanco Ha, well, I can't reveal everything just yet, but I think it begins with a culture that's not led by programmers and the desire to just push out features that don't take their ramifications across different social groups in account.
@Are0h i was thinking computer mediated social networks don't have good ways of tracking trust or levels of intimacy. People need ways of knowing who the audience is when they talk
@alienghic I agree. I don't think there is anyway you can do that without including a human quotient to your platform.
But adding that element takes effort because it can be about one set of people. And diversity of that sort takes work beyond programming a set of features.
@Are0h lot of people on commercial social networks move to group chat or private groups. I wonder about using different uis / different theme to show how far a message is going to travel might make sense. Most public looks like a park/public square, then porch, then living room. A key thing would be as you get more private showing the user list of who can see gets more important.
@Are0h @alienghic Wikimedia chimed in on this regarding a June 20 EU vote on a Copyright Directive. More specifically #Article13
https://blog.wikimedia.org/2018/06/14/dont-force-platforms-to-replace-communities-with-algorithms/
@Are0h @alienghic I only even really got on Mastodon after my initial try because #Speekin was still in its very insular early stages (for good good reason) and I wanted something to use now.
He went for keeping it invite-only at the start to keep the community values and tone under the control of the voices he wanted to stay centered, only to be expanded once they'd put down roots and built up inertia. I don't think it's ever going to be federated, though, which is sort of a shame.
@Cobalt @alienghic I don't know about this one, but I definitely understand why they would keep it invite only. I'm considering the same for my project.
Yeah, I love federation. I think it's the future. Ha, now we just gotta figure out how to build sustainable and healthy communities so we can take full advantage of it.
In the months that I have set up and run this instance, I have learned some very valuable lessons and met some incredible, really smart, ha and yes very cute people. I would have to say, it has generally been a positive experience since I've been here.
Conversely, there is a distinct cultural divide that is replicating a lot of the issues I've seen on main stream social sites such as FB, Birdland, etc.
I feel like Masto has hit a wall and is gone as far as it can.