Erin KissaneApr 30, 2023

I meant to be finishing a post about books I'm reading but I got distracted and wrote ~2500 words about Mastodon and Bluesky and the related things (welcoming design, insular culture) I've been stewing on for a few months

And also about vegetarian meat substitutes in the 1980s, which were *really something*

https://erinkissane.com/blue-skies-over-mastodon

Show threadErin KissaneApr 30, 2023

People looking for a more neutral take on the state of various networks will probably get a lot out of this writeup from @mmasnick:

https://www.techdirt.com/2023/04/28/six-months-in-thoughts-on-the-current-post-twitter-diaspora-options/

Six Months In: Thoughts On The Current Post-Twitter Diaspora Options

Today is six months since Elon took over Twitter and began this bizarre speedrun of the content moderation learning curve in which he seems to repeatedly… not learn a damn thing. Over and over agai…

Techdirt
Show threadJeff C. 🇺🇦🇬🇱

@kissane @mmasnick As someone who has pretty strong “Bluesky antibodies” I went into your write-up prepared to strongly disagree with it, but came away largely in agreement.

Mastodon is in the big leagues now. This will necessitate change and openness to new ideas.

May 1, 2023 at 12:17amWeb
Show threadJeff C. 🇺🇦🇬🇱May 1, 2023

@kissane @mmasnick The ‘80s meat substitute thing is particularly inspired, as it’s a perfect example of how ideologues can and often trip themselves up in achieving their goals when a different approach could actually make inroads.

Sometimes you just have to be willing to meet people halfway.

Show threadLionel Mandrake May 1, 2023

@jeff @kissane @mmasnick Or meat them halfway, on a case by casing basis. 🤦

I apologize. It was just sitting there and I couldn't help myself.

Show threadJeff C. 🇺🇦🇬🇱May 1, 2023

@mandrakeOPE @kissane @mmasnick I was thinking of that before I posted that, actually, but had a moment of uncharacteristic self-control.

Thanks for not leaving it unsaid!

Show threadErin KissaneMay 1, 2023

@jeff @mandrakeOPE

blocked and reported, all of you

Show threadLionel Mandrake May 1, 2023
@kissane @jeff I plead guilty and accept my pun-ishment. (omg, make it stop)
Show threadLionel Mandrake May 1, 2023
@jeff @kissane @mmasnick "Self-control"? I'm vaguely familiar with the concept, in a "darn, I missed the train again" kinda way. 😜 Cheers!
Show threadWraitheMay 1, 2023
@jeff @mandrakeOPE @kissane @mmasnick
Show threadSkyler Hawthorne May 1, 2023
@jeff @kissane @mmasnick I agree, this is a pretty great piece. I feel like this is all best exemplified by the vitriol that exploded forth over people building indexers over the Fediverse. I don't rehash the whole issue, as I think there are big problems with how both sides of that debate went about it, but one thing that is crystal clear is that there is a massive unfulfilled need for discoverability.

Decentralization is great and all, but without a way to interact with the larger system, it's more like a bunch of tiny islands. Doing absolutely nothing about it is going to make it really easy for people to jump ship to the next big social platform that actually does meet their needs. And I don't think connectedness and privacy are necessarily in fundamental conflict with one another. It just takes effort and compromise.
Show threadSkyler Hawthorne May 1, 2023
@jeff @kissane @mmasnick one issue I did have with the piece was this

>the longer Mastodon stays in Linux-on-the-desktop mode

I think this is a stereotype that isn't exactly serving the point of the story very well. Desktop Linux has made pretty big strides in user friendliness over the past decade. GNOME and KDE both offer an experience competitive with Windows and Mac these days, in my opinion.
Show threadRafi CMay 1, 2023

@dead10ck @jeff @kissane @mmasnick

The linux parallel is unintentionally appropriate here: Windows 11 has ads on the start menu that can't be turned off, it's constantly phoning home, and its consumer version has become surveillance-ware. Microsoft can do this because they make their money elsewhere (Office and Azure).

Linux today is an oasis compared to that.

I'm specifically referring to Windows here as that is what the majority of people in the world use. Not everyone can afford a Mac.