Marianne QuijanoNov 6, 2022
Smaran

There seems to be a sentiment circulating that the move from Twitter to Mastodon will make it harder for scholars in the Global South to access academic resources and networks.

Wouldn’t an open source and decentralized service like Mastodon actually increase access? Why should our global public sphere be controlled by one capitalist in the global North? Unless the implication is that GS scholars lack tech literacy, which is patronizing at best.

#ethics #access #Mastodon #twittermigration

Nov 5, 2022 at 3:36pmWeb
Show threadSmaranNov 5, 2022
For what it’s worth, I haven’t seen a single scholar who actually lives and works in the GS say this.
Show threadDr. Roberto Che EspinozaNov 5, 2022
@smaran this is important.
Show threadSmaranNov 5, 2022
@robertoche glad you agree!
Show threadStephanNov 5, 2022
@smaran
I was also thinking about the question and don't think it will have anything to do with a lack in tech literacy. But I'm wondering, could there be infrastructure problems in the GS for setting up many instances at the same time like it's happening right now in the GN? A second point is, that instances like scholar.social are already closed again. So what are academics doing who are joining only in a couple of month? Will there be enough "academic" instances then?
Show threadSmaranNov 5, 2022
@KielerPirat These are good questions.
Show threadAmogh ArakaliNov 5, 2022

@smaran The challenge I see is that most older users (many of whom are senior academics) are too tired to hop over to yet another social media platform. They'll be more likely to switch off from social media altogether.

I suppose they might be persuaded to move eventually.

But until then, the Melon Melt has created a situation where GS scholars lose access to senior academics, journals, societies, and funding on Birdsite, but don't get that access back on Fediverse.

Show threadAmogh ArakaliNov 5, 2022

@smaran Just to be clear, I agree with you that in the long-term, the Fediverse has greater academic potential than Birdsite.

But I do suspect a lot of pain in between. Perhaps for years, as networks heal and regrow.

Edit: Sorry for sounding rather gloomy! This just happens to be a sore topic for me. I be a little better in my future posts :)

Show threadSmaranNov 5, 2022
@amogharakali I hear what you’re saying about senior scholars not moving over. I don’t know if that’s the case or that’s what’s going to happen. But hopefully they won’t be dissuaded and will join us. Even Twitter had a learning curve at first.
Show threadTorsten KathkeNov 6, 2022

@smaran I was wondering about that as well. I feel like a lot of this is the fear that there will be a disruption of communities who formed and function on Twitter. People also seem to be afraid Mastodon will be more hierarchical because smaller circles?

Maybe there's something to all that, or maybe these are simply fears and people can’t cope because all of this happened so fast?

Show threadSusanne GrussNov 6, 2022
@torstenkathke @smaran I was wondering about that as well. I can't really say anything about the position of academics from the global South, but it ties in with people complaining that M. is too complicated, I think. Which I found equally confusing, but then I only joined T. 3 yrs ago & remember vividly how complicated & confusing I found everythg.
Show threadTorsten KathkeNov 6, 2022
@susannegruss @smaran I had some insomniac thoughts about all of this last night and I don’t think it would be entirely wrong to consider it part of a grieving process? There’s certainly real issues here that need to be fixed, but maybe some of it is people resisting change because change is always hard, emotionally.
Show threadSusanne GrussNov 6, 2022
@torstenkathke @smaran Definitely! I found a real community on Twitter (and a number of tweeps kept me sane during lockdown w/ kids), and I don't want to lose any of them.
Show threadSmaranNov 6, 2022
@torstenkathke @susannegruss I think there might be a danger to Mastodon becoming too cliquey if we don’t figure out how discoverability could work more smoothly. Hashtags and these lists have been a really good start. And in a way, they’re more than I ever had as a graduate student joining Twitter. All we had back then was seeing the most popular and outrageous Academic Twitter posts that would get promoted by the algorithm. I sense this is fairer, but not sure!
Show threadTorsten KathkeNov 6, 2022
@smaran @susannegruss I‘m heartened by the upcoming ability to follow hashtags. But we need more ideas to keep this open and accessible and interesting instead of repeats from your fifty-five best friends who have the same job 🤔
Show threadThanasis KiniasNov 6, 2022
@torstenkathke @smaran @susannegruss
Have you used the “advanced” multicolumn view in the Web interface? I’m just keeping a panel for the #histodons and #twitterstorians hashtags open all the time. (You can do boolean AND/OR/NOT on hashtags then.)
Show threadTorsten KathkeNov 7, 2022
@tkinias @smaran @susannegruss Sorry, that may have been confusing: I meant what else can we do to get outside of the bubble? What works well here is specifically looking for a few hashtags and searching for your friends, but there’s a certain serendipity that should come on top of that. I love the #histodons but I don’t want a feed that’s only them!
Show threadSmaranNov 6, 2022
@susannegruss @torstenkathke yes, I think there is genuine (and I use this word cautiously) trauma and grief from the rug being pulled out from beneath so many of us by an almost conquest-style takeover and destruction of our shared online public square. We need infrastructure in place that makes such action by one, renegade person impossible.
Show threadasaxena87Nov 6, 2022
@smaran true that! The entire STEM and HSS twitter can find a new (and better) home here. But, comfort zones and inertia to explore and learns keep people away!
Show threadSmaranNov 6, 2022
@asaxena87 this is true. I hope we can all help each other push through the barrier of the learning curve. But I’m still optimistic that our online communities can have a better home here!