In some ways, I’m enjoying how the Twitter / Mastodon divide is shaping up. Speaking very generally, Twitter is like going out into the storm and shouting with a bullhorn, while taking enemy fire and occasional shrapnel.

Mastodon is more like returning to a cozy lodge and having a fireside chat while wounds heal, sipping hot chicken broth, having some actual conversation.

Obviously, homophily is the most obvious explanation. Mastodon selects for more like-minded people; my followers are more like-minded still. So it’s double selection bias. But still, even so, I think the norms are different here even for stranger-stranger interaction that tend to favor more civil exchange.

@davetroy

I think it's more algorithms / no algorithms.

There's nothing here driving people to argue. Maybe debate, but not argue.