I think a lot of folks who use Masto want to have a different social media experience and that's cool, but a lot of folk bring their biases with them.
The tech is going to improve as it should, but the biggest issue we have now is culture. What kind of experience do you want to contribute too?
As we get deeper into this self hosted social media thing, we begin to see why it has gone the direction it has.
A lot of folks want the benefits of it with none of the responsibility.
Look, we can't control what anyone says. People are going to be what they are. But what we can do is set the tone for what is acceptable and what isn't.
If you let your members harass and demean people with no consequence, that's what you're going to be know for.
If you allow your members to make 'jokes' at the expense of marginalized communities, that is going to be your reputation.
We all have a say in the kind of culture we want to create.
Our interest in Masto has brought us all together here in the fedi, and that's cool, but we're still people that don't know each other.
We still need to go through that process of getting to know people and establishing relationships. The method is different because we are in the space, but the prices is still the same.
Is the culture you're creating making this process easier or harder? Are you someone people want to get to know or are you just using this space to spit hate?
If you're looking to connect, keep chugging. Listen instead of waiting to talk. Apply what people from different backgrounds are telling you about what make them feel seen and included.
Yes, misunderstandings happen, but that's people stuff. It happens. If you're about community, folks will see that eventually.
The tech is going to be what it is, but more importantly, we all have to decide what kind of experience we want to contribute to.
That's how culture is made.
Aomine Dicegame
Arjan Koole 🇺🇦