Show threadJonAug 1, 2023
@kylethayer @misc Thanks for kicking off this discussion, and apologies for the delayed response.

In terms of the #FediGovernancePact goals, let's start with #2: "make the Fediverse more welcoming". It's not clear to me how a pact of community-governed instances would make the fedivese more welcoming. Which of the issues discussed "Mastodon is easy and fun except when it isn’t" or "Whiteness of Mastodon" do you see a pact as addressing?

Goal #1 ("community governance of Fedi projects and instances") seems to reflect an assumption that more "community governance" in today's overwhelmingly white fediverse, with endemic HOA racism, is inherently a good thing. Is it? Are there examples of BIPOC people suggesting that a pact of community-governed instances would be a good course for the fediverse?

Or, look at the ongoing discussion about BBC as a test case. At least in my feed, most trans people (although certainly not all!) see BBC's history of publishing transphobic post and platforming transphobic people and groups as grounds for defederation. Most cis people (although certainly not all) see BBC's presence here as a good thing and think that defederation is a mistake. So if that's an accurate representation of people's positions in general, it's likely that "community governance" on a mostly-cis instance is likely to lead to a policy that most trans people see as anti-trans.

Of course it's possible that the cis people could listen to and prioritize trans perspectives. Unfortunately, that's not likely to be the case in today's fediverse. Look at community governenace examples like social.coop's loomio discussion about Threads or the equivalent #CoSocialMeta hashtag (both on instances you cited as good examples). There's virtually no reference to the risk to trans and queer people from the anti-LGBTQ hate groups that Meta's giving free reign to. And to tie it back to my initial point, there's also not any reference to concerns some Black people have expressed about Threads -- I've got a few exampels with links here, right after "perspectives aren't monolithic".

EDIT: Nivenly's just-announced community discussion of #Haidra is another example in progress; some initial thoughts here.

Don't get me wrong, BDFL is a very problematic model for open-source projects, and I think it's important for admins to get input from their communities. So it's certainly useful to think about different forms of community governance and the role it can play. But the discussions need to foreground anti-racism and other aspects of intersectional anti-oppression. And if you're talking about potential mechanisms for today's fediverse, it needs to take the realities of today's fediverse into account.
Kyle ThayerJul 28, 2023

I was talking with @misc about the idea of a #FediGovernancePact, committing to community governance for Fedi projects/instances (to get away from the benevolent dictator/feudalism thing most have now)

I tried drafting some thoughts here:

https://hci.social/@kylethayer/110792723522387138

I would appreciate feedback on whether people think this is a good idea, or on any of the details. Particularly people like: @mekkaokereke (hachyderm is community-run), @kissane, @jdp23, etc. (I'll untag you if you want)

Kyle Thayer (@[email protected])

@[email protected] Ok, this is a thread of my first pass of what a #FediGovernancePact might look like. Anyone feel free to copy/change anything if you think there is something useful here. And if people like this (or something like it) let's try to figure out how to share and get more input (and community buy-in) on this: #FediGovernancePact (post 1) Goals: - community governance of Fedi projects and instances - make the Fediverse more welcoming

🌱 hci.social
Show threadJesseJul 28, 2023
@nyquildotorg Agreed. This is what prompted my yammering this morning here https://mastodon.social/@misc/110791864800632376 - which in turn prompted @kylethayer to draft a first take on a #FediGovernancePact. Join the movement!
Show threadKyle ThayerJul 28, 2023

@misc #FediGovernancePact (post 7, final post)

This is just my first pass at thinking through a #FediGovernancePact. Feel free to copy this, modify it, and make it your own. I don't feel any need or desire to own this (it should be community owned if the Fedi community wants it!). I just want to help get the ball rolling toward better community governance.

Show threadKyle ThayerJul 28, 2023

@misc #FediGovernancePact (post 6)

Examples of community governance I've seen people mention (un-vetted):
- https://cosocial.ca/
- https://hachyderm.io/
- https://digitalcourage.social/
- https://social.coop/
- https://kolectiva.social/

(Please tell me if you know of more examples, or if any of these examples are problematic and I should delete them from the list)

CoSocial

Cooperative-run social media server for Canada. Join at https://join.cosocial.ca

Mastodon hosted on cosocial.ca
Show threadKyle ThayerJul 28, 2023

@misc #FediGovernancePact (post 5)

How:
- To join the Pact, all instances/projects over a certain size should be community run (e.g., democracy, transparent foundation)
- TODO: define governance models
- Additionally, joining the pact means making efforts to include historically unwelcomed communities in governance (E.g., Black users, non-tech users, etc.) and keep up with the concerns of those groups.
- Make a way for users to see what servers have agreed to (and are following) the Pact

Show threadKyle ThayerJul 28, 2023
@misc #FediGovernancePact (post 4)
- The Whiteness of Mastodon: https://techpolicy.press/the-whiteness-of-mastodon/
- Black Twitter, quoting, and white views of toxicity on Mastodon: https://privacy.thenexus.today/black-twitter-quoting-and-white-toxicity-on-mastodon/
- The Affordance Loop: https://erinkissane.com/the-affordance-loop
- Mastodon is easy and fun except when it isn’t: https://erinkissane.com/mastodon-is-easy-and-fun-except-when-it-isnt
- Some history: https://privacy.thenexus.today/mastodon-a-partial-history/#dogpiling-weaponized-content-warning-discourse-and-a-fig-leaf-for-mundane-white-supremacy
The Whiteness of Mastodon

A conversation with Dr. Johnathan Flowers about Elon Musk's changes at Twitter and the dynamics on Mastodon, the decentralized alternative.

Tech Policy Press
Show threadKyle ThayerJul 28, 2023

@misc #FediGovernancePact (post 3)

- make the Fediverse more welcoming: There are groups of people who have found the Fediverse unwelcoming, such as Black users, journalists, non-technical background users. We want to make this a more welcoming place for them. (note: we do **NOT** want to be welcoming to racism, transphobia, harassment, etc.). (further reading in next post):

Show threadKyle ThayerJul 28, 2023

@misc #FediGovernancePact (post 2)

Why these goals?

- Community governance: having individually-run projects/instances leads to a feudalistic system, where the "benevolent dictators" duke it out over legitimate or petty conflicts. Users on those systems/servers have little say in these conflicts and may be forced to migrate servers (and only some things migrate). Also, this puts an unfair burden on the lone "benevolent dictator" to act perfectly always.

Show threadKyle ThayerJul 28, 2023

@misc Ok, this is a thread of my first pass of what a #FediGovernancePact might look like.
Anyone feel free to copy/change anything if you think there is something useful here. And if people like this (or something like it) let's try to figure out how to share and get more input (and community buy-in) on this:

#FediGovernancePact (post 1)
Goals:
- community governance of Fedi projects and instances
- make the Fediverse more welcoming