Shyamal PatelJul 3, 2023
Jeff Moss

After talking with an ex #Meta engineer that explained some of the tricks used to boost users dopamine reactions to watching “likes” bubble up in their UI I think the Blue Sky vs. Masto debate gets it wrong.

There is room for both.

Those that need the “fix” of the dopamine likes and influencer surge will gravitate to the algorithms that give them that.

Those that don’t like influencers constantly curating their posts for optimal engagement and trending statistics will pick Mastodon.

Jul 3, 2023 at 5:09pmWeb
Show threadAris Adamantiadis 💲PaidJul 3, 2023
@thedarktangent we have the equivalent of free meth competing with vegetables in the supermarket. That problem can't be solved just by telling kids that doing veggies is cool.
Show threadJoYoJul 3, 2023

@thedarktangent I don't see why Mastodon couldn't host the high engagement accounts.

reposts are highly encouraged since there's no sorting algo it gets in front of more eyes.

A/B testing has some additional variables but I have faith that influencers can adapt.

Show threadJoYoJul 3, 2023
@thedarktangent I think there's money to be made in highly curated celebrity instances on Mastodon.
Show thread⠵⠻⠷⠕⠭ 🍥🍉⚪🌹Jul 3, 2023
@thedarktangent I feel like there's something more to be said for the principles of free software outside of corporate control here but I also get it's hard for newcomers to acclimatize to the idea that their previous convenience-based behaviours are destructive at a social scale
Show threadDr. Juande Santander-VelaJul 3, 2023
@thedarktangent we might have a social mental health mandate for removing algorithms… but not with the current leadership around the world.
Show threaduOMiJul 3, 2023
@thedarktangent #Spoutible does also not use algorithms. It makes for problems of visibility. Nobody wants to post into the ether. We all hope for meaningful engagement, no?
Show threadJeff MossJul 3, 2023

@suenosdeuomi Correct, and there are ways of surfacing popular posts by number of boosts or stars or how many comments a post gets, but that’s more like filtering than algorithmic amplification. Kind of like how trending posts work.

On Mastodon it seems more important to choose what time zone you are posting in, when I do it wrong Inget less visibility.

Show threadThe Animal and the MachineJul 4, 2023
@thedarktangent @TNLNYC
This makes sense. So most of the kids will go to #BlueSky but most will mature onto #Mastodon.
Show threadnatriumchlorideJul 7, 2023
@thedarktangent if they're using twitter to promote their product/business/service & try to land jobs then 'gaming the algorithm' might just be a tactic of survival if i can put it that way. I like that nothing gets shoved down my throat on mastodon but also i'd never try to sell my shit here because i'd be down to pure luck and there's at least 95% that i wouldn't earn anything from my efforts whereas on mainstream socials there is a way or a promise of it at least.