Mastodawn

Gwen Pauloski Dec 20, 2022

official_verified

Gentle Reminder 💚🐘:

✅ If you wish to warn your audience about a topic that you deem disturbing, annoying, spoilers, and so on, DO use Content Warnings to wrap your own posts. Here's how: https://infosec.exchange/@Em0nM4stodon/109282181601490676

✅ If you do not wish to see posts about certain topics in your own timelines, DO use Filters to hide these posts for yourself. Here's how: https://infosec.exchange/@Em0nM4stodon/109323462169819778

❌ But DO NOT, tell people in reply they should hide their own posts!

Respect what others wish to post about.

You have the options to Filter, Mute, Unfollow, Block, and even Report if a post is breaking the Server’s Rules.

Stay kind, and let others use their own voice 💚

#TinyMastodonTip #Mastodon

Em :official_verified: (@[email protected])

Tiny Mastodon Newbie Tip 🐘: Content Warning (CW) is used quite liberally here. It’s an amazing Mastodon feature! Use it as often as it might be helpful. You can use Content Warning to hide a toot (post) your are writing that: - discusses or displays topics that might disturb other users (ex: violence, nudity, mental health, food, etc) ⚠️ - discusses or displays topics that you think could be annoying or irrelevant to other users (ex: twitter, local politics, very long post, whom-who-shall-not-be-named, etc) 🔕 - discusses spoilers of a tv show, movie, video game, or book 🤯 - hides a joke you want to create a special surprise for! :awesome: HOW TO❓ 1. On desktop, below the toot writing field, click on “CW” in the menu. The button’s icon and label may vary for mobile apps, but it should be there! 2. This will add an extra title field above with “Write your warning here” (or similar label). 3. Write the warning (what people will see) for your toot (ex: “Spoiler Star Trek Discovery Season 10!” or “Discussion of violence:” etc). 4. Write your toot normally in the field “What’s on your mind?” (or similar label) and Publish! 5. People will have to click on “Show More” to see the content of your toot. 6. Magic!✨ #TinyMastodonTip #Mastodon

Infosec Exchange

Befuddled Dec 20, 2022

@Em0nM4stodon strongly disagree. When I'm scrolling through and I see unobscured photos of people performing sex acts, I am completely justified in replying that the fool should mark their media as sensitive

Random Snake Facts Dec 20, 2022

@Em0nM4stodon Big thanks for reminding people of this! I don't hide my wildlife photos and I shouldn't have to. If people don't like snakes, they're free to filter me, block me, or whatever. I do my best to respect others and follow the rules. Mostly, people here on Mastodon have been pretty respectful. I'm thankful for this!

@Em0nM4stodon
@mmasnick

I love this. I keep thinking that it's so inappropriate to tell people to use CWs on politically or socially sensitive toots, especially toots posted from minorities. If you feel it's important to confront people with important truths (and let's be fair, it IS often important), you don't have to use a CW. If you don't want to see it, filter it.

Geoff Winkless Dec 20, 2022

@mikestevens @Em0nM4stodon @mmasnick so I must spend hours and hours building lists of all the possible words about any subject I don't want to hear about, and I'll still be certain to miss one.

People know when what they're posting is potentially triggering, choosing to not wrap those posts in a CW is a deliberately abusive act. I have no respect for it.

Saying "you can filter" is the tech equivalent of "she shouldn't have worn that dress".

@Geoff
Perhaps I wasn't clear enough. I'm talking about politically and socially significant issues that a lot of people want wrapped in CWs because they want their mastodon time to be a pleasant escapist experience. I'm not talking about toots about individual cases of assault or specific stories of trauma, etc. I understand that even these might trigger victims, but I also think there's an argument that the tooter can toot about social/political issues with thoughtful/respectful language and not have to go all the way to wrapping it in a CW.

I also don't agree that what I'm describing is reasonably equated to "she shouldn't have worn that dress", because I'm talking about toots that speak in service of social issues, not toots that diminish or demean a victim's choices and rights and experiences.

It's not a black & white concept. Saying ALL sensitive toots should be wrapped in CWs is, IMO, going too far to help one group while ignoring what might be best and most effective for another.

@Em0nM4stodon @mmasnick

Geoff Winkless Dec 20, 2022

@mikestevens @Em0nM4stodon @mmasnick no, I don't think you were in any way unclear: you think it's acceptable that some people are entitled to ignore site norms and to cause actual harm to other vulnerable system users because they themselves are the subject of some level of societal harm, yes?

The point about the dress is not that the posts are sexual in nature, but you're putting the onus on the victim to not place themselves in harmful situations.

Mike Masnick ✅Dec 20, 2022

@Geoff @mikestevens @Em0nM4stodon hey Geoff, it feels like you're leaping to a very strange conclusion in response to Mike's post and Em's original.

Seems like everyone can take a step back and go on their own way without getting so aggressive.

Geoff Winkless Dec 20, 2022

@mmasnick @mikestevens @Em0nM4stodon ok Mike, why don't you try reading what I wrote again, then maybe stop accusing people of aggression just because they can frame an argument?

After all, I'm sure Mike and Em would be the first to point out they're able to filter my responses if they feel they're too hurtful, why should I have to moderate my tone to suit you or them?

Do you see how this ends up?

Mike Masnick ✅Dec 20, 2022

@Geoff @mikestevens @Em0nM4stodon Yup. It ends with me blocking you. Have a good one.

Geoff Winkless Dec 20, 2022

@mmasnick @mikestevens @Em0nM4stodon good chat.

@Geoff
All good, Geoff. I agree I was clear enough, especially in my reply to you. You've neatly construed my comment to suit your argument while ignoring my effort to go further into the finer aspects of the matter — such as a minority ethnic group being able to discuss racism and police brutality together, and shine constant light on the issue because frankly nobody unaffected by these injustices deserves a break from the discussion, without having to tiptoe around individuals that apparently won't participate in their own online safety or have somehow missed a key word to mute, as though every sensitive conversation is constantly stumbling onto new synonyms that your filters missed — so I'd say we're probably done. Good chat. Best of luck coping with this platform's evolution.

Geoff Winkless Dec 20, 2022

@mikestevens all you're doing is repeating your argument that some people are entitled to override site norms and cause other people harm because society has caused them harm. Repeating that point doesn't change it. The problem is that everyone's perspective is individual, eg some right-wingers have a genuine belief that they are being silenced by a liberal media and so would express a belief that they should be allowed to ignore CWs to get their pov across.

Dr Suzanne she/her Jan 21, 2025

@Geoff @mmasnick @Em0nM4stodon @mikestevens it’s just considerate to use CWs imho.

Aeáro, a SeaWyrm

I think it's reasonable to *politely* ask someone whose toots you see to cw a particular subject that they wouldn't otherwise think to cw.

If they say no, then one can still break out the filters and so forth. But they might also just be like "oh, yeah, sure! No worries!"

Aeáro, a SeaWyrm

Also sensible: "Hey, folks who see my toots, should I cw [x]?" or "Hey, is there anything you wish I'd cw that I don't?"

JB Emmons Dec 20, 2022

@aearo
@Em0nM4stodon
I think the problem is that while you will no doubt be asking someone to CW something in good faith, there's no way to know whether others have already advised them to CW that or similar content in the past, be it once or 100 times, and they either forgot or chose not to CW.

There's a risk of unknowingly dogpiling there, which I have seen happen plenty of times already here.

Aeáro, a SeaWyrm

@IntlLawGnome @Em0nM4stodon

That's a good point! But I still think a polite ask is generally reasonable.

I guess maybe if you're in that situation, where you're getting bombarded with cw requests, that's a sign it's worth saying something in your profile or a pinned post about your cw policies.

Maybe a distinction should be made here between accounts one intends to have real interactions with, and accounts with a zillion followers who probably won't even realize you exist. It's the latter who are most likely to be dogpiled, I'd figure, and the former who are most likely to go "sure, friend!"

JB Emmons Dec 21, 2022

@aearo
@Em0nM4stodon
Frankly I think that "if you're getting dogpiled maybe you should listen to everyone scolding you" is not a perspective I can get behind. But people will do what they want to do, so I won't push the point.

I just ask that folks remember the human on the other end of the interaction, and remember you don't know everything about their experience & intentions. Which I know everyone in this conversation is trying to keep in mind. 👍

Aeáro, a SeaWyrm

@IntlLawGnome @Em0nM4stodon

Yeah! I don't think we really disagree that much.

I dunno if I can get behind that perspective much either - I'm just saying, if you're getting a ton of people with the same expectation, might be worth giving them an FAQ so their expectations will be different. And then they'll stop bugging you, maybe. 😉

phinshap Dec 20, 2022

@Em0nM4stodon I think it’s important to mention that different instances have different norms, rules, and expectations around CWs - it’s not a universal, which is a good thing imo

BeegyPsi Dec 20, 2022

Yes, all of this!..

..except the part where she calls them "toots". Don't do that. We're stopping that. 😁

ThomasSawyer Dec 20, 2022

@Em0nM4stodon
Thanks for the tips they all help to flatten the learning curve.

Frank Vehafric Dec 21, 2022

@Em0nM4stodon Thanks for the link.

Molly Timmins Dec 21, 2022

@Em0nM4stodon I did tell someone once I could’ve used a CW on a post, but I meant it in jest (and they took it that way). But I agree: No scolding.

Godlesswh_re Dec 21, 2022

@Em0nM4stodon Thank you! . This is perfect for everyone including those who like to tone police people's toots.

Kezzen Dec 21, 2022

@Em0nM4stodon thanks for the tips.

Grandy Dec 21, 2022

@Em0nM4stodon Thanks. Excellent and helpful info. Like a mini Christmas gift☺️

M Eilo Dec 21, 2022

@Em0nM4stodon Ok. This makes sense. I've definitely gotten upset by an image and asked for a CW in replies. Thanks for changing my mind. I will learn to use filters and do better going forward.

Morgana Dec 21, 2022

@Em0nM4stodon Absolutely!! This is, after all, a public forum/square …… information is necessary and discussion is healthy!

Rey de La Fleur Dec 21, 2022

@Em0nM4stodon Thanks for the CW suggestion!
My issue is, I do not see a CW toggle below the writing / text field
Using an iPhone. Thanks for guidance!
#newhere

Amy Hoy Dec 21, 2022

@Em0nM4stodon thanks for this!

i’ve seen that CWs are being used as a tool more to bludgeon minorities than they are to protect people from actual triggers.

i respect that people have content that triggers them (me too) but it’s unreasonable to expect everyone to know what those things are, much less that they might see it, and therefore to hide their life behind a button.

Elizabeth Dec 21, 2022

(Keeping in mind your instance's rules about manadory content tagging!)

@Em0nM4stodon ye lol mastodon people needed to hear this

Aquiel ‘Aqi’ Draco Jan 7, 2023

@mastodonburgers best to just follow @Em0nM4stodon and also @feditips