Robert W. GehlNov 1, 2024

A lot of folks at #AoIR2024 are a bit peeved that more AoIR members aren't using Mastodon/the fedi instead of X. "We as a community have produced a great deal of criticism of corporate platforms," they say, "so why aren't more people switching?"

I've been studying alternative social media for a long time now. To cite Stuart Hall, there are no guarantees: you do this sort of work, trying to make something better, but knowing that it's a struggle and it may fail.

Show threadJohn SullivanNov 1, 2024
@rwg I love the Fediverse, the vibe, the freedom to choose how you wish to be connected to others, and the decentralization. I am well aware that it is not a panacea, however, and that harassment, stigmatization, and worse are unfortunately part of the fediverse as well. But the key is that we, Fedizens, have the power to make it a better place instead of being beholden to a megalomaniac billionaire. That counts for a lot in my book.
Show threadAlex Halavais

@John47 @rwg Same, but the theory/practice divide is great. Build it and they *may* come, but community switching is hard.

AoIR Twitter hashtags happened way before they showed up on our conference programs, etc. It started as the backchannel. Making it the front channel attracts old grumpy people like me.

And the issue of reaching journalists and being "noticed" outside the community plays into the Twitter space just as much as ever. #aoir2024

Nov 1, 2024 at 12:49pmWeb
Show threadKevin Driscoll 📳੯‧̀͡⬮Nov 2, 2024
@theprof @John47 @rwg yeah, twitter was initially an (1) informal backchannel and then became an (2) official platform for conference participation with potential for (3) external publicity. We won't have that same trajectory a second time
Show threadKevin Driscoll 📳੯‧̀͡⬮Nov 2, 2024
@theprof @John47 @rwg folks still need all 3 functions but there's no consensus option that does everything so we scatter?
Show threadRobert W. GehlNov 2, 2024

@kdriscoll @theprof @John47

Scatter, or make our own. I have a PhD student studying journalists on the fedi -- they are here (albeit trickling in). And there are quite a few academics here. It just takes time to build the network out. But it will always be ours!

Show threadKevin Driscoll 📳੯‧̀͡⬮Nov 2, 2024
@rwg @theprof @John47 totally! It's helpful for me to remember when Twitter felt like a backchannel (and AIR-L was the "official" channel, perhaps?)