Mathew OakesOct 13
My camera shoots fascists
On the fediverse, posts rarely go viral. But at times, they will go "fungal", like mycelium quietly working its way through the substrate, popping up again like mushrooms every few months to make another quick round before going dormant again.
Oct 13 at 2:27pmWeb
Show threadMy camera shoots fascistsOct 13

I think there's a lot more to this phenomenon than a quick quip. The fact that a good post can have an extended shelf life in a context that rarely produces flashy virality is a function of both the technological infrastructure and the much more human and real social norms here.

This is one of those things that I meant a couple days ago when I said to newcomers that a lot of the good parts of Mastodon/fediverse take some time to notice and appreciate.

Show threadAlaric Snell-PymOct 13
@Mikal I've observed that, too. I think of my blogging that way - I'm not usually writing a throwaway post about some passing thing, but an article l will dig out and send people the link to when they ask my opinion on something for years to come...
Show thread🫧 socialcoding..Oct 14

@kitten_tech @Mikal

Delightful observations! πŸ˜ƒ

Mycelium and mushrooms are among the fitting analogies to use for Social coding commons, a movement which may (or may not) grow by emergence from a chaotic grassroots environment.

Mycelium are like the furtile tendrils of an affiliation network weaving through the compost of the commons, seeking nourishment. And once it is found, mushroom beds of collaboration and cocreation sprout among the moss.

Something like that. 😁

https://coding.social/introduction/#chaordic-organization

Social networking reimagined

We find novel ways to collaborate and create value together.

Social experience design
Show threadAnnieOct 13

@Mikal So true. ❀️

Quick quips are abundant, but the architecture and culture here support longer-form writing equally well.

I have exactly one story-post that has ever gone mycelial. I wasn't trying for it and never expected it, but as a storyteller it's been such a delight to see a longer-form post/story be shared and enjoyed, in waves, over time. I mean, I'm just over here doing my own thing, you know?

Show threadMy camera shoots fascistsOct 13

@anne

But that's what makes this place kind of special. We may be doing our own thing, but it is very much "our authentic thing". What you're describing is more like being at a cool gathering and having someone come up to you and say "hey, I was reading back issues of your zine and I saw that story you wrote last year on the cultural significance of belly button lint and thought it was really cool."

Show threadGunChleocOct 13
@Mikal sporespondence is not just pretty mushroom pictures
Show threadeverton137Oct 13
@Mikal https://social.vivaldi.net/@everton137/115369129886109137
everton137 (@[email protected])

Using the Fediverse is like using cannabis. It's not addictive, and you'll often meet kind, creative people who use it. You can relax and enjoy good conversations while scrolling through #Fedicats or #Fedidogs, or even try out new recipes (perhaps during your munchies). Mainstream social media, on the other hand, is more like sugar, alcohol, or tobacco: it’s designed to create dependence. The dopamine hits keep users hooked, and the outrage fuels engagement. These platforms profit from anxiety and aggression just as other industries profit from addiction. Think about the overdose of bad news and hate speech that keeps us glued to our phones. Meanwhile, healthier, slower, community-based ways of connecting, both online and offline, are still considered odd or niche, like cannabis once was. How do we break these taboos and help more people find a better high? #Fediverse #Cannabis #BigTech #Drugs #SocialMedia

Vivaldi Social
Show threadMercurius GoldsteinOct 13

@Mikal

Yes I have exactly one (1) post from 2023 that got 2K+ boosts for some reason and a few times each year someone gives it a nudge or a comment.

Show threadMarkus Redeker 🐘Nov 2
@Mikal In the Fediverse, I also sometimes see several postings with the same message, and each of them gets boosted. So it could be that a message (not a post!) gets viral and nobody notices. I am sure something like this has already occurred.
Show threadelsa sloth-ringen πŸ”œGPNOct 13
@Mikal posts truly will go @hypha
Show threadBruhOct 13
@elsactivitypub @Mikal @hypha same braincell :D
Show threadfungus (penicillin producer)Oct 13
@citronmecha @elsactivitypub @Mikal hiii :3
the post goes @fungal
Show threaddogzillaOct 13
@Mikal @lisamelton I dig this framing
Show threadCharlie StrossOct 13
@Mikal Yeah, like the insect-colonizing cordyceps fungi, they drive the victim mad, cause them to climb up high and explode messily, then destroy their victims.
Show threadMike EdeyOct 13
@cstross @Mikal this might help explain the relative popularity of #Mushtodon .
Show threadBoneHouseWaspsπŸ”ΆπŸ‡¬πŸ‡§πŸ‡ͺπŸ‡ΊOct 13

@mce @cstross @Mikal I was out in the forest with the fam on the weekend taking pictures of fungi. My wife called me a 'nerd' but my kid asked me why I was doing it - whether it was a competition or something and when I said no - it's just for fun, they said they thought it was cool.

And look at this handsome fella. 😊

Show threadLeah PriceOct 27
@cstross @Mikal See also: Olga Tokarczuk'sThe Empusium
Show threadWendroid πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦Oct 27
@cstross Some mycellial networks are, actually, just for communication. @Mikal
Show threadMy camera shoots fascistsOct 27

@cstross

Or at least destroy their mentions.

Show threadKōtare Oct 13
@Mikal kinda like The Last of Us.
Show threadMy camera shoots fascistsOct 13

@jdmcg

I've never seen that. Call me culturally deprived, I guess πŸ˜†

Show threadLed By Gilded FoolsOct 14

@Mikal @jdmcg IDK if you would like that show. Its entertaining but based on a post apocalyptic civilization collapse adventure video game.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_of_Us_(TV_series)

The Last of Us (TV series) - Wikipedia

Show threadKōtare Oct 14
@Mikal it's a zombie apocalypse story, where the zombies are people infected with a fungus (much like the way cordyceps controls insects.) It's horrific at times, but entertaining 😎
Show threadMy camera shoots fascistsOct 14

@jdmcg

😱

Show threadArne 🌻🌈Oct 15
@jdmcg If your fediverse posts start making clicking sounds, it’s time to get concerned. #TLOU #FungalFedi
Show threadHugo MillsOct 13
@Mikal Bookmarking this now to boost again in the spring.
Show threadMy camera shoots fascistsOct 13

@darkling

This is the perfect response πŸ„β€πŸŸ«

Show threadSupermoosieOct 27

@Mikal @darkling

Bookmark?

This is Mastodon, we have a bot for that!

@remindme

Show threadWendroid πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦Oct 27
@SuperMoosie @Mikal @darkling @remindme #Mushtodon
Show threadWeird SocksOct 13

@Mikal
I have seen this happen.

And, just today, there is a post that went viral since being posted a little after 6 PM PST last night. It was still picking up tens of boosts a minute last I looked.

I think things might be changing. I don't know why, though.

Show threaddasgrueneblattOct 13
@Mikal Oh, this is a wonderful metaphor, thank you. That's exactly what it's like. πŸ’š
Show threadColinOct 13
@Mikal @emilvolk I love it when my posts make their way through the mycelial network.
Show threadFormer Stardew Valley FarmerOct 27

@colinstu

like on Star Trek Discovery!!

@Mikal @emilvolk

Show threadMercurius GoldsteinOct 13

@Mikal

Bookmarking this to boost again in 6-9 months when the forest floor is once again lush and moist.

Show threadAceOct 13

@Mikal

so kinda like whatever the hell Tumblr has going on

Show threadmattgOct 13
@Mikal and just 5 posts later I was presented with this proof of a round earth from August 2023.
https://mstdn.ca/@beaveinflow/110844856552509473
Beavarah :noverify: :mstdneh: (@[email protected])

If the earth were flat all the men would’ve gathered to pee off the edge already.

Mastodon Canada
Show threadWatchful CitizenOct 13

@Mikal This is actually very refreshing. Old posts live long. You stop chasing viral posts and realize that people who care will find it.

I feel detoxed from the dopamin addiction other apps give you

Show threadLed By Gilded FoolsOct 14

Mushroom Nerds (and hobbyists, observers, etc): If you are in the greater Seattle area, consider coming to the Puget Sound Mycological Society's 2025 Wild Mushroom Show at Shoreline Community College, the weekend of October 25th and 26th.

More info https://www.psms.org/show.php

cc: @Mikal post above reminding me this was coming up somehow...

#Mushroom #Mushrooms #Mushiverse #Mushtodon #Spore #Sporeprint #Fungi #Fungal #Fungus #Cordyceps

Puget Sound Mycological Society | Events | Annual Wild Mushroom Show

The Puget Sound Mycological Society is an organization of people interested in wild mushrooms and mushrooming. We provide support for research, education, cultivation, hunting, identification, and cooking of mushrooms.

Show threadCourt Cantrell does not complyOct 14

@Mikal

In a world of Twitter viruses, go mycelial.

Show threadSteffoOct 14
@Mikal wait i'm pretty sure to have seen this same post a few months ago… πŸ„
Show threadMy camera shoots fascistsOct 14

@steffo

Lol, though if you did it wasn't by me.

Show threadOpen RiskOct 14
@Mikal its likely linked to the topology of the activitypub network, which servers are connected to whom, and how many users each etc. But the fediverse is averse to introspection so it will have to stay at the level of a nice metaphor πŸ„πŸ„πŸ„
Show threadKat the LeopardessOct 14

@Mikal Would you say that because of the decentralize aspect to the Fedi? I ask because I had posted something once and, in the initial time, it didnt have any real reach beyond those that follow me and maybe some movement in my local instance.

Then, months later, that same post ended up suddenly getting traction and from instances that I didnt have any mutuals in.

Show threadSupermoosieOct 27

@Catwoman69y2k
People using using the Fediverse in different ways.

Using searching, searching hashtags, lists, etc.

See something that appeals to them and they give it a boost. "I like this, maybe some else might like it"

And it starts it journey again.

@Mikal

Show threadtayOct 15
@Mikal so we’re time traveling on the mycelium network?
Show threadJenn, blobby goblinOct 27

@Mikal I find it very appropriate that I'm seeing this post two weeks after it was made 

(I have one of these. "Fungal" is a good way to describe its lifespan.)

Show threadSupermoosieOct 27

@Mikal

@remindme 2 years

Show threadzooopnirOct 28
@Mikal after it goes fungal, you can't kill it in a way that matters
Show threadmariaOct 28
@Mikal not on the fediverse as a whole, but on mastodon, posts go wooly
Show threadMy camera shoots fascistsOct 28

@jilotta

πŸ˜†

*ba dum tssh dot gif*

Show threadLAURENOct 29

@Mikal

I prefer fungal to viral IRL too

Show threadKevin RussellOct 29

@Mikal

Can confirm.

Show threadscott fOct 30
@Mikal I like how this post is itself resurfacing every few days, making it self-describing
Show threadMy camera shoots fascistsOct 30

@scott

I haven't mentioned that, but...yeah.

Show threadAxel 🚴😷🐧πŸͺ⌨ | #WeAreNatenomNov 2
@Mikal: q.e.d. πŸ˜‡
Show threadUnion WhoreNov 21
@Mikal thinking about the "it's actually GNU/Linux" deadly womansplain shitpost
Show threadMy camera shoots fascistsNov 21

@unionwhore

I guess I missed that one?

Show threadUnion WhoreNov 21
@Mikal https://fedi.lynnesbian.space/@lynnesbian/101418079532140692
Lynnesbian :bune_ylw: (@[email protected])

"i use linux as my operating system," i state proudly to the unkempt, bearded man. he swivels around in his desk chair with a devilish gleam in his eyes, ready to mansplain with extreme precision. "actually," he says with a grin, "linux is just the kernel. you use GNU+linux." i don't miss a beat and reply with a smirk, "i use alpine, a distro that doesn't include the GNU coreutils, or any other GNU code. it's linux, but it's not GNU+linux." the smile quickly drops from the man's face. his body begins convulsing and he foams at the mouth as he drop to the floor with a sickly thud. as he writhes around he screams "I-IT WAS COMPILED WITH GCC! THAT MEANS IT'S STILL GNU!" coolly, i reply "if windows was compiled with gcc, would that make it GNU?" i interrupt his response with "and work is being made on the kernel to make it more compiler-agnostic. even if you were correct, you won't be for long." with a sickly wheeze, the last of the man's life is ejected from his body. he lies on the floor, cold and limp. i've womansplained him to death.

Lynnestodon
Show threadMy camera shoots fascistsNov 22

@unionwhore

Something tells me this is a deep rabbit hole that I should stay out of until I have time...