Chris TrottierNov 8, 2022

Elon Musk may put the entirety of Twitter behind a paywall.

Elon Musk has blabbed on and on about free speech, but if he does this, it's certainly not "free as in beer" speech. https://gizmodo.com/elon-musk-twitter-paywall-genius-idiot-nazis-tom-fitton-1849756014

Elon Musk Considers Putting All of Twitter Behind Paywall in Latest Genius Idea

The idea comes in the wake of Musk's other brilliant idea: Fire half the staff.

Gizmodo
Show threadChris TrottierNov 8, 2022

If you're still a Twitter user, a paywall should offend you since Elon Musk is attempting to monetize content *you* have made—and not compensate you for it.

At least the New York Times' makes ethical sense. They pay their writers.

Show threadChris Trottier

Personally, I spend $50/month to use the Fediverse.

I'm not against monetization of social media services.

But there's something profoundly icky about a Twitter paywall.

Nov 8, 2022 at 5:20pmWeb
Show threadChris TrottierNov 8, 2022

I have no doubt that putting the entirety of Twitter behind a paywall will grow the Fediverse.

But I don't celebrate this. People's entire professional livelihoods depend on Twitter being public.

Show threadChris TrottierNov 8, 2022

By the way, activists have been warning for years about Big Social *owning* your content and charging for it.

Most of us didn't listen because we traded the rights over our work for convenience.

Show threadChris TrottierNov 8, 2022

If you don't think tweets are work, well they are. Valuable enough that a billionaire paid money to own them.

And now he wants to charge money for access to your work!

Show threadChris TrottierNov 8, 2022

Twitter's potential paywall is why I'm so mindful of where I live on social media.

1. Mastodon is a non-profit, and I provide donations for it.
2. I self-host three instances
3. I de-federate from any instance I consider unethical

Show threadChris TrottierNov 8, 2022

The Fediverse is so valuable because it at least offers better control over your data than Big Social.

Your data is easier to archive here.

You can more easily migrate from one instance to another.

You can self-host, and post from *your site*.

Show threadChris TrottierNov 8, 2022

Personal data is the new oil.

Back in 2020, I calculated the worth of companies that harvest your personal data. It was in the ballpark of $4 trillion dollars.

Why is it so valuable? Because many services can't function without the collection of your personal data.

Surveillance capitalism is literally what makes much of the economy work.

But here's the outrageous thing. You—the person whose data is being harvested—don't see a cut of the windfall.

Show threadChris TrottierNov 8, 2022

Why do I bring up *your* personal data in the context of a potential Twitter paywall?

Because Elon Musk has made blatant what has, until now, been hush-hush: that everything you contribute to Big Social is valuable.

It's not just your tweets, but also:

1. The time you spend on site
2. Your search queries
3. Your social sentiment
4. Your interests
5. Your contacts and relationships

You put in the work, gave Twitter that data—and now they're going to monetize all of it to the very last drop.

Show threadChris TrottierNov 8, 2022
My God, I hope the Fediverse starts a mass trend where people finally say, "My personal data is mine—not for Big Social to own!"
Show threadmidwayNov 8, 2022
@atomicpoet Most people don’t care. They give away their personal data for convenience all the time
Show threadChris TrottierNov 8, 2022
@midway CORRECTION: They don't care until they have to care.
Show threadmidwayNov 8, 2022
But they don't have to care. Even if big social media as we know it goes away, do you honestly think people are going to give up Google and their smart phones, tablets, and even "watches"?

Not a chance. The majority of the public has already given up on the privacy of their data. That battle is lost.
Show threadChris TrottierNov 8, 2022

@midway En masse, no.

But let's say your phone is stolen, and hours later, police come to your house to arrest you. Their reasoning: your phone's GPS tracking puts you at the scene of a murder.

Yeah, then you'll care.

Show threadmidwayNov 8, 2022
That isn't proof that you were there though.

And that threat already exists and yet smart devices are everywhere...

You're looking at extreme corner cases. Most people don't make decisions based on those.
Show threadmidwayNov 8, 2022
Hell, people have no problem with doorbells that have camera systems where the company keeps the images.
Show threadmidwayNov 8, 2022
Or multiple devices that listen to them constantly.
Show threadChris TrottierNov 8, 2022

@midway Doesn't matter if that scenario doesn't wind you up in prison. At best, it's more than an inconvenience—it's a stressful situation.

And to that last point, yeah, people don't usually think, "What can go wrong?"—they don't care about the consequences of surveillance capitalism until they have to.

Show threadmidwayNov 8, 2022
I imagine the bigger stress point for a lot of folks is to have lost their phone.

But I'd be willing to put a small wager down that even after that happened, the person would not give up their smart phone. They are that hooked.
Show threadmidwayNov 8, 2022
I'm not fully immune. But I do things like turn off biometric authentication when I cross international borders. Yes, I really do that. :)
Show threadChris TrottierNov 8, 2022

@midway Sure, because what other option is there? There's iOS or Android.

Even now, it's difficult to get your hands on a Librem phone.

Show threadmidwayNov 8, 2022
There are options...but they aren't convenient. Mostly because they don't have apps. GrapheneOS is really good from a privacy point of view, but you have to live without the full app ecosystem which is the biggest reason people use smartphones.
Show threadmidwayNov 8, 2022
Flip phones are still a thing if you just want a phone. And super cheap. But no one wants those...hence why they are super cheap
Show threadChris TrottierNov 8, 2022
@midway What I mean is that it's very hard to walk into a phone store and buy a security-hardened smartphone. Can you even get one at retail with physical kill switches?
Show threadmidwayNov 8, 2022
Probably not a phone store...you'd have to order it and set it up yourself.

But that's a factor of demand. No one wants them.
Show threadChris TrottierNov 8, 2022
@midway I know at least 5 people who have bought Librem, which comes with kill switches. They haven't received them yet, they're still on back order. And the specs suck.
Show threadcorbeaucryptoNov 8, 2022
@atomicpoet Me too. Let's do phones next!
Show threadbeyond9thousand 🐧Nov 9, 2022
@atomicpoet technically your personal data (up to an extent) is for whatever instance you are on, to own. Or at least the posts you make and the content in them are.
Show threadChris TrottierNov 9, 2022
@beyond9thousand This is true. This is why I self-host a single-user instance at atomicpoet.org.
Show threadbeyond9thousand 🐧Nov 9, 2022
@atomicpoet that's smart, but I see you're on the .social instance as we speak. What's the catch?
Show threadChris TrottierNov 9, 2022
@beyond9thousand The catch is that I've had this specific account since 2018, and donate to mastodon.social's continued operation.
Show threadbeyond9thousand 🐧Nov 9, 2022
@atomicpoet that's commendable!
Show threadDave SwerskyNov 8, 2022
@atomicpoet It won't be too much longer before the only valuable part of Twitter is our data, and that will go stale fast
Show threadthesuperpapagaiNov 8, 2022
@dswersky @atomicpoet That already is the only valuable part of Twitter
Show threadAngieNov 9, 2022
@atomicpoet this isn't hush hush info though. People have known this for quite some time and aren't concerned. Look how much facebook uses your info. Apps track data from you that they have no business needing. Etc etc. People know. People aren't concerned.
Show threadBill Bittner (he/him)Nov 8, 2022
@atomicpoet Personal data is the new surplus labor. Alongside the standard abuse of surplus labor that's always going on.
Show threadmidwayNov 8, 2022
Well, in the ad model they are providing people with a service that they want.
Show threadDan Fernandez  Nov 8, 2022
@atomicpoet While I fully agree with your description in principle, certain users do get to monetize their data (influencers and some content creators) and a big swath of people are getting “free” services that they would otherwise have to pay for. I think there should be a shift towards a new data standard that allows proper licensing of personal data, or at least provide permission/revocation of data usage when it’s not respected.
Show threadAris TeonNov 8, 2022
@atomicpoet I would also recommend Wikitribune Social (WTS) founded by Wikipedia's co-founder Jimmy Wales. Mastodon and WTS are my main social media now.
Show threadChris TrottierNov 8, 2022
@aristeon They should join the Fediverse.
Show threadAris TeonNov 8, 2022
@atomicpoet I prefer to have different competing social media, no more putting all eggs in one basket. The internet should go back to being decentralized like it was over a decade ago. And I really like WTS's concept.
Show threadChris TrottierNov 8, 2022

@aristeon The Fediverse is decentralized by nature, more decentralized than WTS. In fact, by joining the Fediverse, WTS would be expanding both its reach and relevancy.

Remember, the Fediverse is a not a social network, but a collective of protocols and social networks.

Show threadAris TeonNov 8, 2022
@atomicpoet I think WTS should do its own thing, I don't like the idea of everyone trying to be in the same place, with the same format. I am a huge fan of what WTS is trying to do.
Show threadChris TrottierNov 8, 2022
@aristeon WTS would be sticking to its usual format, it would just be federating with the ActivityPub protocol. In fact, I don't think most WTS users would notice a difference.
Show threadAris TeonNov 8, 2022
@atomicpoet I don't think there has to be just one solution for everything, and I don't want the Fediverse to become the next cult thing everybody needs to embrace. I support what WTS is doing on its own.
Show threadChris TrottierNov 8, 2022
@aristeon We'll have to disagree. Nobody should ever join a social network that refuses federation options.
Show threadAris TeonNov 8, 2022
@atomicpoet I am not a fan of one-size-fits-all solutions and the fanatical embrace of one idea. We'll definitely have to agree to disagree.
Show threadDavid VelasquezNov 8, 2022
@atomicpoet shout out to all those #Twitter users who over the past several years have enriched my life with mental health services (i.e. jokes, wisecracks, witticisms and general mirthfulness) and the occasional useful bit of news- whether that have been in the realm of arts/culture, politics, or what-have-you. #gratitude
Show threadTQuidNov 8, 2022
@atomicpoet convenience is a hard problem for ethics. We trade literal genocide for it, as long as it’sout of sight.
Show threadJosje TooropNov 8, 2022
@atomicpoet Do not lead us into Temptation...
Show threadAriadne Conill 🐰Nov 8, 2022
@atomicpoet whaaaaaaaaaaa
Show threadAshNov 8, 2022
@atomicpoet Yeah, I may not use twitter myself for anything other than retweeting memes and such, but I do follow a lot of artists and other people who make a lot of their money through twitter in various ways. A lot of them have been verbalizing a lot of worry about this and I feel for them.
Show thread🏳️‍🌈Trentskunk🏳️‍🌈Nov 8, 2022
@atomicpoet
I'm not. Frankly I'd be fine with a fairly large chunk of the birdsite not showing up at all. The reason it's not as toxic here is because they aren't here.
Show threadChris TrottierNov 8, 2022
@trentskunk Have you not noticed the Twitter Migration that's happened over the past month?
Show thread🏳️‍🌈Trentskunk🏳️‍🌈Nov 8, 2022
@atomicpoet
Yes, so far we don't seem to have gotten many of the truly toxic people, or I've missed them. Either way it'd be nice to keep it that way.
Show threadJosje TooropNov 8, 2022
@atomicpoet Yesterday I listened to a podcast with two anonymous Twitter employees. From an European perspective I can not understand how very well paid professionals put up with all this corporate bully stuff. Don't they have any pride? The sovereign just Wills things and can treat employees as subjects. Democracy and decency stops at the workplace.