Some people believe there's no purpose to "liking" something on Mastodon since it doesn't affect any algorithm.
Not the case.
It does something incredibly valuable: it acknowledges people.
Which is incredibly powerful, and is all the more important *because* it's not connected to gaming any algorithm.
By liking something on Mastodon, you are doing it honestly -- without any agenda at play other than that you like it.
So go ahead. Click that like button for its own sake.
@atomicpoet "The Algorithm" really broke us. Some people immediately led with "favorites/likes don't do anything here except let the person know you liked what they said."
Exactly. That's what I wanted to do - let someone else in the world know that I liked what they wrote.
@thom @atomicpoet Also, it *is* a signal for other users—it’s possible to see how many ⭐️s a post has, and some clients even show it in the timeline.
Liking may not increase the likelihood that I see a post (like a boost will), but seeing lots of stars lets me know I should maybe slow down and pay attention to that one.
Chris Trottier
Thom Slattery
Max Leibman has moved!