@film_girl It really does, but this time around we all get how the service works. There are real benefits to the platform growing and it staying small but a big part of me hopes it stays on the smaller side this time around. 🥲

@mergesort @film_girl unfortunately I think diversity is suffering at these current numbers

@shantini @mergesort for sure. Small is good but small can be too much do an echo chamber too. It’s that weird fine line between too small and too big, you know?

@film_girl @shantini I definitely agree about diversity, but one thing that's been a little different about Mastodon for me is that I think of it as *a* place in my life, not *the* place in my life. I'm worried about losing many voices in the conversation, but the freedom from having one singular place to try and find it (in a very flawed manner) has allowed me the space to go seek those voices elsewhere, places which may [or may not] be better suited to let nuances come across.

@mergesort @film_girl alternative take: the cognitive load of having to find separate places for diverse content and tech content is pretty destructive to a person who is brown and in tech. It’s isolating. I feel isolated.

@mergesort @film_girl but also, not everyone is going to try as hard as you! A big barrier to people being anti-racist is the amount of effort one has to put in.

@shantini @film_girl I very much get that, and was actually having the same conversation with a friend tonight about how we miss a lot of what #BlackTwitter brought. I don't think there's a good answer here that would suit anyone or everyone, it's a series of tradeoffs. The things that made Twitter feel vibrant are also what led to very toxic dynamics, and the absence of them can lead to people feeling isolated. My long bet is on the open internet breaking down barriers, but… that's long.

@mergesort @film_girl I mean, yeah. Mastodon is a new, relatively untested thing and black people especially have had some bad moderation experiences. I think this is a really complex issue that we don’t have enough data about to figure out how to fix. But in the meantime, when people call out how much they prefer this place it’s hard not to ask the tough questions, such as is do people enjoy it because it’s very class- and race-limited.