HollieMar 20, 2024
Found my way into a great #FediForum discussion on implementing the ability to create private groups, and it startled me how emphatically a few folks were puzzled why this would be desired. One person repeatedly characterized private groups as "hiding from the public square". It feels like issues of harassment (sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, etc.) are talked about with such urgency (at least in my circles?) - I can't be the only hearing that? The public square isn't safe for everyone.
Show threadKat Valentine AllwellMar 20, 2024

@hollie Oh my god, this is such a huge disconnect that is so incredibly frustrating with how people design social software, and the material needs of the people who use it.

Being constantly exposed to the world is a *luxury* and building around design assumptions that everyone *can* and *should* be constantly connected to everyone everywhere is just... it's such a fucking techbro mindset.

Privacy is integral to living a life, and fedi seems to be built specifically to impede private spaces.

Show threadKat Valentine AllwellMar 20, 2024
@hollie People act different when they're being watched vs when they're not being watched, and we've built this whole space that normalizes and even extols the value of being on constant display to everyone, and have then declared that this is actually a normal and desirable condition for people and communities to exist in, perpetually.
Show threadLocksmith
@katanova @hollie Constant exposition. Constantly selling oneself. No wonder why we are all exhausted.
Mar 21, 2024 at 1:52amWeb
Show threadHollieMar 21, 2024
@locksmithprime @katanova Yeah people dance when the algorithm tells them to, behavior shifts to match the new way of getting attention. It's interesting and annoying at a low level, but at a societal level becomes really disturbing.