Annalee Newitz 🍜Gotta love tech journalists who describe Mastodon as "that impossible-to-use website." First of all, it's an app. C'mon. Second of all, aren't these the same people who write breathless explainers about the wonder of cryptocurrencies, which are not only impossible to understand but literally built from bullshit?
taylor hatmaker@annaleen it’s such a confusing sentiment bc it’s basically the same experience (without a few refinements) except you pick a server??
Jeremy Kahnpicking a server is almost exactly as fraught as picking a neighborhood to live in, only it's somewhat easier to move if/when you figure out that the neighbors aren't kind.
similarly, people with privilege can pretty safely just throw a dart at a map and come out okay; people with less privilege usually have to check with their own personal networks -- is it safe for me to be myself in this neighborhood? would the neighbors call the cops on me for walking my dog?
@trochee @Tayhatmaker I completely agree with that. Mastodon has a lot of problems, especially with abuse of marginalized folks. What gets me steamed up are tech journalists calling it "impossible to use" on what I assume are UX grounds, often without even bothering to try it.
UX for Mastodon is substantially the same as Twitter, honestly, at least on the web.
and yes, all the problems about safety for marginalized people that I'm pointing to here are the same ones everybody would have jumping to, say, Post, or Hive -- except that you don't get a choice about neighborhoods; it's more like immigrating to a new _country_ .
Still gotta check your networks about whether you're safe, but moving out if it's not working is _much harder_ .
Alakest@trochee @annaleen @Tayhatmaker I should read up because I heard it was easier to pick-up and move on Mastodon (and keep the addresses of followers and let them link back).
Prompts me to want simply a distributed *address* system. Just give every citizen nationally, or persons globally, a range of IP addresses. (Here's where I get over my skis) Then have people use some sort of blockchain-assured index for swapping addresses.
<rant>Corps can pay their taxes if they want an IP address!</rant>
@alakest @annaleen @Tayhatmaker it *is* pretty easy to move! You just can't move your posts, only your followers.
I used to be [email protected] until I decided i didn't want to live in the District One of the mastodon network
Ah. A hassle to not be able to move posts, but, if they're intermingled with replies one didn't author, I can see how it's tricky.
Zuri (he/him) ❌️👑 🕐 CET