Adrian SegarI and thou. Bloggers—all writers for that matter—let us know who you are. We want to know you.
the roamerYes, good article, it highlights a key element of the #genAI catastrophy. Thanks for the post and the link!
Interacting with other humans opens us up, whereas interacting with human-like machines cages us in.
P.S. Love your "carnival funhouse mirror" analogy!
I and thou. Bloggers—all writers for that matter—let us know who you are. We want to know you.
And when morning came her knights showed her the QUOTES that covered the fields, huge white blocks that blocked the view. And they told her the QUOTES were rooted deep in the ground and they could not be removed. And our Lady Joan Mastodon wept for three days and three nights. Then she rose and stood in front of her knights and spoke thus: We shall not quote, she said to them. We shall reply and we shall boost, but we shall not quote. We will pass by the QUOTES that cover our fields, we will plant trees around them, we will toot freely to each other as we always did, in direct exchange between one free tooter and another, never blocking the other's voice. Having spoken thus, she rode away. And as she passed the first of the QUOTES, her knights heard her laughing, a free, roaring laughter. That is our Lady Joan, they said to each other. Let us toot as she asked us to. Let us plant trees around the QUOTES.
"We shall fight Quotes on the beaches, we shall fight them on the landing grounds, we shall fight them in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight them on the hills, we shall never surrender ... "
That's what our Lady Joan Mastodon called us to do in her great speech before the Battle of the Hashtags. She was, as ever, right.
QTs break the dialogical principle that gives the pulse of true life to the Fediverse. We want to talk to the other, not talk about them.
#noQuotes #noQT #MartinBuber #IAndThou #JoanMastodon #MastodonCulture
Yeah, it helps us making sense of many things, doesn't it. Certainly as regards the current genAI cultural tectonic shift.
I've also used the "I and Thou" idea to make sense of Mastodon! See, eg, here:
https://mastodonapp.uk/@the_roamer/114646867916663363
Or here:
https://mastodonapp.uk/@the_roamer/114439824273622643
Re-reading these old posts of mine I realise how much I love the Fedi, and I remember the absolute liberation I felt when I arrived at these shores in November 2022. It's a wonderful, wonderful thing. Good things can and do happen.
the roamer (@[email protected])
@[email protected] 100% agree. It is sad to see the disappearance of one of the foundational Mastodon conventions. Not having a #QuoteToot facility means that we always speak _to_the other, we don't speak _about_ them to others. "I and Thou", not "I and They". When I arrived here in November 2022, it was these kind of conventions that immediately made me feel at home. Sad to see it go. I will try to adopt your policy of calm avoidance, without getting too upset about it. #noQT #IAndThou #MastodonCulture
A thoughtful set of reflections, thank you. You urge us (and yourself) to accept that we live in an era of impurity, and to look out for the good strands in the work of those who submit to the evils of genAI.
I will try to learn from your reflections. Not sure whether I can accept those flirtations with the genAI devil. For me the key word is not Purity but Authenticity. Personal authenticity, human agency, personhood --- these are under unprecedented attack and people seem to enjoy it and celebrate it. But you are right, each of us is one big mess of contradictions and I must remain open to those around me.
I have always been a follower of Martin Buber's contradistinction of "I and Thou" vs "It and He". First and second person, not third and third person. Those who understood this distinction have always been in a minority, so perhaps the current moral catastrophy is just part of an ongoing forever-catastrophy!
I and thou. Bloggers—all writers for that matter—let us know who you are. We want to know you.
100% agree. It is sad to see the disappearance of one of the foundational Mastodon conventions.
Not having a #QuoteToot facility means that we always speak _to_the other, we don't speak _about_ them to others. "I and Thou", not "I and They". When I arrived here in November 2022, it was these kind of conventions that immediately made me feel at home. Sad to see it go.
I will try to adopt your policy of calm avoidance, without getting too upset about it.
#noQT #IAndThou #MastodonCulture
I and thou. Bloggers—all writers for that matter—let us know who you are. We want to know you.
