Evan ProdromouAug 6, 2023

Hi, fediverse Web and mobile client developer.

What if you added a speed bump in the reply flow to slow down users for just a moment?

"Do you really want to reply to X? Will they appreciate your reply?"

Maybe just the first time they reply to someone; maybe easily turned off in settings.

If it makes people think for just a moment, it might help with making the fediverse a more welcoming place for women.

UPDATE: deleted and redrafted per multiple requests.

Show threadEvan ProdromouAug 7, 2023

This may help with some angry or harassing replies.

However, I'm more interested in the high volume of microaggressions that women and nonbinary people report on social networks, such as:

* Centering yourself
* Hijacking a thread to change the topic
* Being overly familiar with someone you have a parasocial relationship with
* Multiple replies "thinking out loud"
* Talking down to someone who knows as much or more than you do about the topic

Would a speed bump help here? Maybe.

Show threadEvan ProdromouAug 7, 2023
I think an opt-in mode, off by default, to help people remember to better regulate their own behaviour, would have benefits without inhibiting marginalised people who have issues speaking up and sharing their voice.
Show threadJessamynAug 7, 2023
@evan I think "speed bump" is exactly the right way to look at it. Maybe something like after 2 or 3 replies, you have to wait longer between replies unless both parties opt in to continued conversation? Like. masto is great for long back and forth topics, but it's also a little tense when you get that "reply guy" type of interaction, people who won't quit. We've talked about and never implemented this for MetaFilter but I think about it a lot.
Show threadSean Bala

@jessamyn @evan

Really love the idea of an enforced gap between replies after you pass a certain number of replies.

Aug 7, 2023 at 2:15pmWeb