Mastodawn

J.L. 1285 12h ago

𝙉𝙤𝙖𝙝 𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙛

There are a few really popular accounts here on the Fediverse that I muted some time ago. It’s not that I don’t understand why folks follow them, it’s more that I couldn’t understand why I felt like those accounts bothered me so much. I mean…it’s folks like Robert Reich and George Takei so it’s certainly not a content issue, and I love reading them under other circumstances.

It took me a while to tease it out and it ultimately comes down to the difference between the Fediverse and sites like Twitter.

When I had an account there I rarely posted anything and after a few attempts to participate in conversations, realized that I was whispering at a Throbbing Gristle concert and no one was hearing me.

So when you look at accounts like Robert Reich or George Takei, they’re not actually here, they’re just mirrors of content they write elsewhere. So even though I see people responding to those posts as if they’re writing to a specific person, they might as well be replying to a bot.

Take as a counterpoint folks like @RickiTarr or @TheBreadmonkey. Very popular accounts, thousands of followers, but they’re actually here, they’re a part of the ecosystem and will boost, reply, favorite, etc.

I love that about this wild, weird, little slice of internet. I think that’s why I muted folks like Robert Reich, they’re not actually here to interact, they’re ultimately not a part of the community. They’re just here so they can access us, not interact with us. That’s not why I’m here. If I reply to someone, I want to know there’s a high likelihood they see it, whether or not they choose to respond to it.
--
ETA: A few folks have pointed out that they've gotten replies from George Takei so it seems that this is more my personal experience there and there is at least a human on the other end of the posts which I'm glad to be wrong about as I adore George Takei.

𝙉𝙤𝙖𝙝 𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙛 12h ago

Apologies to @RickiTarr and @TheBreadmonkey for the sheer volume of replies this is getting. I know y'all are used to having truckloads of notifications but I imagine it's usually for something you actually post. I 100% understand if you need to mute this thread to retain sanity.

@monkeyninja @RickiTarr

It is my mission to respond to every single post on the Fediverse or DIE. I'm so tired.

I AM BANKSY ☕ / 🗑‍🔥9h ago

@TheBreadmonkey
I'm assuming you're going alphabetically by handle, as I haven't seen any yet.

@monkeyninja @RickiTarr

The Duke of Fall

@monkeyninja "they’re not actually here" encapsulates the entire vibe of popular accounts I avoid on the Fedi. They're billboards *in* the community, but that's it. They're just signs.

𝙉𝙤𝙖𝙝 𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙛 12h ago

@valthonis 100%. What's funny is if they built a following on the fediverse first and *then* said, "Hey, I'm trying to make a couple of bucks off this thing, here's how you could do that" then I'd probably be totally fine with that. It's still an interaction, there's still the expectation that this person lives here and not that they're a tourist here to take pictures in front of the cartoon Mastodon.

social elephant in the room 12h ago

@monkeyninja @RickiTarr @TheBreadmonkey same thing, I started muting some mirrored accounts even if I agree with them ideologically.

I AM BANKSY ☕ / 🗑‍🔥10h ago

@tseitr
Mirrored, reposting, bridged... All those get blocked around my place.

Legit_Spaghetti 12h ago

@monkeyninja @RickiTarr @TheBreadmonkey

They’re just here so they can access us, not interact with us.

That's a remarkably astute way of putting it.

Astoot, if you will. 🙂

I AM BANKSY ☕ / 🗑‍🔥10h ago

@Legit_Spaghetti

Like the Fedi version of an accidental phone call.

Butt dial

Ass toot.

@monkeyninja @RickiTarr @TheBreadmonkey

Rob Vincent 🎙️12h ago

@monkeyninja @RickiTarr @TheBreadmonkey I totally hear this, and would only add in the cases of people like Takei - and no shade on him personally, because I truly adore him as a creative and as a public figure and I support his work out there - but even on the other platforms I've never really believed it was actually him writing posts or participating in the discussions.

I'm on social media to connect with people. I've never been on social media to follow people's staffs.

𝙉𝙤𝙖𝙝 𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙛 12h ago

@Rob_T_Firefly @RickiTarr @TheBreadmonkey That's true too, I hadn't thought of that. I think even if a staffer were replying to things that people wrote in response to those posts that I might still give it a pass because likewise, I adore George Takei. As I said to someone else, it feels performative...like taking a photo in front of the cartoon elephant and then going home to live in your mansion.

Rob Vincent 🎙️11h ago

@monkeyninja @RickiTarr @TheBreadmonkey Here's a relevant clip of Brent Spiner talking about William Shatner's Twitter presence, scroll to 1:13 or so. https://youtu.be/LRCN9Toi-Ck

BRENT SPINER Remembers the Time ‘WILLIAM SHATNER’ Flipped Out On Him

YouTube

@Rob_T_Firefly @monkeyninja @RickiTarr

This is the actual William Shatner and I am FURIOUS about this

Paul Martin 11h ago

@[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] Every. Word. Is. Its. Own… Sentence.

@monkeyninja @RickiTarr @TheBreadmonkey I mean even if they were here, they aren't posting personally <_<

𝙉𝙤𝙖𝙝 𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙛 12h ago

@caitp To be fair, I'm not entirely convinced that @RickiTarr isn't actually a benevolent collective of hyper-intelligent ferrets and @TheBreadmonkey may actually be an AI that breached containment and possessed Clive Owen

@monkeyninja @caitp @RickiTarr

That's a great question! Would you like to see an image of the Pope on a skateboard?

Richard W. Woodley ELBOWS UP 🇨🇦🌹🚴‍♂️📷 🗺️12h ago

@monkeyninja @RickiTarr @TheBreadmonkey

When I respond to a post on social media I don't think of it primarily as responding to the author but more as commenting to all the people that read the post. Am I an Outlier ?

𝙉𝙤𝙖𝙝 𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙛 12h ago

@the5thColumnist @RickiTarr @TheBreadmonkey Not at all, I think that's in part why I wrote this, because *I* was starting to feel like the outlier. I suspect your approach is likely the more common one here.

Cookiefiend 12h ago

@monkeyninja @RickiTarr @TheBreadmonkey Well put! I'm seriously considering muting Laffy for exactly that reason--and she's the reason I came to the Fediverse in the first place.

𝙉𝙤𝙖𝙝 𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙛 12h ago

@LPerry2 @RickiTarr @TheBreadmonkey Laffy is actually here though, even though replies can be spotty at times, but I get what you mean. I've actually interacted with that account a couple of times and gotten a reply once or twice so there is at least a human on the other end of the GottaLaff account but I've no idea if it is in fact Laffy or not.

Cookiefiend 12h ago

@monkeyninja @RickiTarr @TheBreadmonkey Recently? She's just linking her Bluesky account here these days.

𝙉𝙤𝙖𝙝 𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙛 12h ago

@LPerry2 @RickiTarr @TheBreadmonkey Hrmm...maybe? I have an absolutely shite sense of time so my concept of "recently" can be anything between an hour and 5 years depending on person and context.

𝙉𝙤𝙖𝙝 𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙛 12h ago

@LPerry2 I clicked through to her account and I see a reply to someone a day ago as well as multiple replies back to other folks I follow here so for her it might just be a volume thing and not that she's not here but I honestly don't know. I'm of the opinion that personal experience trumps all so if that's been your experience with that account, I wouldn't give it a second thought and mute away! That's what I love about this place, the control is entirely in our hands.

Netraven 12h ago

@monkeyninja @RickiTarr @TheBreadmonkey

Carolyn Barber posted so many fake AI videos of ICE that I had to block her for my sanity. I still see people boosting her posts all the time though. 🤷‍♂️

Kierkethumbs up convincingly 11h ago

@monkeyninja @RickiTarr @TheBreadmonkey the george takei account has liked several of my replies, so there’s somebody there even if he probably’s not tooting about the fediverse like bentodon

𝙉𝙤𝙖𝙝 𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙛 11h ago

@Kierkegaanks @RickiTarr @TheBreadmonkey Interesting, I hadn't seen the account interact with anyone so I had always assumed there wasn't a human on the other end there.

Kierkethumbs up convincingly 11h ago

@monkeyninja @RickiTarr @TheBreadmonkey tbf, he never seemed to be a chatty teenager

@monkeyninja @RickiTarr

Strong agree with this. For me, Fedi is a vibrant community that I belong to and feel a kinship with those who engage. I've spoken before about how I dislike mirror accounts and think it's cynical and pointless. Accumulating followers for the sake of whatever - clout, monetisation. I understand that artists and authors need to maximise their audience and begrudgingly accept that there are some who, as long as they engage from time to time, it's probably OK. But I'm strongly opposed to scrapers and meme accounts. That said, I realise there's shades of grey, so it's a shifting dynamic and I often change my mind about people. But for me, Fedi is home and community. A safe space and the antithesis of new-twitter. A beautiful garden in which I am a.... bug? I struggle a bit as my circle becomes bigger, because I want to remain authentic and messy and stupid. To talk about things that are deeply personal with people I like and trust. But so far, apart from the odd outlier, Fedi continues to be the community I always wanted. Vive la Fedi. 😊❤️

william.maggos 9h ago

@TheBreadmonkey @monkeyninja @RickiTarr

people here actually want different things. I wouldn't draw the line as fedi vs twitter.

I want the big names and everyone here and virality, but all driven by human boosts (and replies when possible) and better moderation. news outlets running their own servers with nobody able to decide what gets seen.

the different goals have been called small vs big fedi. I'd call it social networking vs social media.

I hope we can better talk and work this out.

@monkeyninja I think of those folks as broadcasters. Sometimes you want the news. But yeah, no conversation to be had, usually.

𝙉𝙤𝙖𝙝 𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙛 11h ago

@d_a_n_a That's a really great way to look at it. I think because I was here before the mass influx of peoples, I got used to the only people using the fediverse being actual peoples and that structured my approach to the whole thing. Apparently my brain yearns for my LiveJournal days.

Pinchy63 🇨🇦11h ago

@monkeyninja @RickiTarr @TheBreadmonkey
I have two screenshots of George Takei answering my toots. He’s really here and will interact.

George B 10h ago

@Pinchy63 @monkeyninja

I also noticed that he started adding alt text to toots after people complained. Robert Reich's account on the other hand just posts screenshots of his Bluesky posts without any alt text which makes it worse than a regular fedi bridge.

I AM BANKSY ☕ / 🗑‍🔥9h ago

@gbargoud
Did Reich standardize the color of the screenshots yet, or still a mix of light and dark mode, desktop and mobile?

@Pinchy63 @monkeyninja

George B 9h ago

I'm just confused every time I see it because it's more work than a http://fed.brid.gy for a worse outcome

Bridgy Fed

Bridgy Fed is a bridge between decentralized social networks like the fediverse, Bluesky, and web sites and blogs.

𝙉𝙤𝙖𝙝 𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙛 10h ago

@Pinchy63 @RickiTarr @TheBreadmonkey Whoa, right on. I really thought that was just a mirror account, I had never seen him reply to anyone. Nice! I withdraw my statement about him then.

@monkeyninja @RickiTarr @TheBreadmonkey

Once in a while, I have gotten short emoji responses from george takai

He is the only really famous person I've had that experience with.

AutistiCritic 10h ago

@monkeyninja @dilmandila @RickiTarr @TheBreadmonkey I get what you’re saying but on the rare occasion I have had Takei reply to one of my comments, it feels amazing! 😁

𝙉𝙤𝙖𝙝 𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙛 10h ago

@benjamincox @dilmandila @RickiTarr @TheBreadmonkey That's phenomenal. I had scrolled through his account and didn't see any replies so i erroneously assumed he was not here at all. I'll update my original post.

AutistiCritic 10h ago

@monkeyninja @dilmandila @RickiTarr @TheBreadmonkey It’s only happened a few times to me but it genuinely made my day! The Fediverse and the world need more like him.

movation 10h ago

@monkeyninja same

Eliza MB 10h ago

@monkeyninja @RickiTarr @TheBreadmonkey

Exactly!
I can (but won’t) name a few others doing precisely the same in the UK political space.
Like you, I don’t have a problem with what they’re saying it’s the way they broadcast and don’t even care if anyone is listening or discussing anything.

I AM BANKSY ☕ / 🗑‍🔥10h ago

@monkeyninja
That Reich account pissed me off so much. They're taking screenshots on the account on Other Media, posting them without alt text.

They could arguably copy the text way easier and post that here as well. The lack of interaction is annoying, but I can understand a policy of not interacting at a certain level.

Takei couldn't keep up if he wanted to, but I think the account has been posting with alt text and CW, so I don't mind so much.

@RickiTarr @TheBreadmonkey @magdalenahai

I AM BANKSY ☕ / 🗑‍🔥10h ago

@monkeyninja
The visually different screenshots that they'd post for Reich, though - light mode, dark mode, different fonts. Makes me think it's an unofficial sketchy posting bot.

@RickiTarr @TheBreadmonkey @magdalenahai

I AM BANKSY ☕ / 🗑‍🔥10h ago

@monkeyninja
Now, let's talk some shit about Doctorow who told me I was using Mastodon wrong because I said I didn't want to see parts 1-300 of some multi-toot thread nonsense reposted individually from his blog.

Sometimes the biggies that do respond are also a problem :)

@RickiTarr @TheBreadmonkey @magdalenahai

𝙉𝙤𝙖𝙝 𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙛 10h ago

@xinit @RickiTarr @TheBreadmonkey @magdalenahai Interesting. I’ve only interacted with him a handful of times but they were relatively friendly and positive interactions. I’m not sure what “using it incorrectly” could even mean though. Like…were you embedding Eldritch Horrors into your posts so that readers would be consumed by Yog-Sothoth or something? Even then, I just see that as malevolently creative.

I AM BANKSY ☕ / 🗑‍🔥9h ago

@monkeyninja
Oh, I WAS embedding Eldritch Horrors. Damn it, now I feel bad!

I honestly don't know. I'd subtooted about how tedious getting a dump of 300 parts was, when he could have threaded it or linked to the blog or RSS. He basically told me there was no way I was seeing what I was seeing on my timeline.

I don't bear him ill will, but I think he reserves being nice to people who agree with everything he says. I've had positive interactions previously, so maybe this was an outlier.

CaptMorgan 10h ago

@monkeyninja @[email protected] @[email protected] You can look at the activity on these accounts, Takei does as an example respond or boost posts here. The main point is he DOES read content on fedi, even if its just reactions to his posts.

🏴🏳‍⚧🏴‍☠10h ago

@monkeyninja @RickiTarr @TheBreadmonkey

I have had the great misfortune to be reposted by a popular account a few times. I mean it sounds cool and fun until you see 15,000 notifications in your inbox. 🫠
I do my best to scroll through and see what comments were posted but I am very sure i've missed a few. also, if this happens during the week, when I have less time to be on social media (I only do social media on desktop and zero alerts to save my sanity) I simply don't have the time to scroll.

🏴🏳‍⚧🏴‍☠10h ago

@monkeyninja @RickiTarr @TheBreadmonkey

popular accounts also mute notifications on specific posts just to keep their inbox clear for other notifications

𝙉𝙤𝙖𝙝 𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙛 10h ago

@coolcalmcollected @RickiTarr @TheBreadmonkey Same, but I always kind of love the handful of times it’s happened to me. I’m so used to my experience being one of yelling into a void and hearing nothing in reply that it’s kind of lovely to see something I write get shared thousands of times.

@monkeyninja @coolcalmcollected @RickiTarr

At the risk of being a 'splainer, I struggle with notifications sometimes and find that if I change my notifications to exclude faves and boosts (so I only see replies), that's much easier for me to engage with. 😊

𝙉𝙤𝙖𝙝 𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙛 9h ago

@TheBreadmonkey @coolcalmcollected @RickiTarr Oh...I like that, that might make the firehose a bit easier to manage actually. I think I'll give that a go.

🏴🏳‍⚧🏴‍☠9h ago

@TheBreadmonkey @monkeyninja @RickiTarr

Oooo, I don't know you could do that here (can I do that on blue sky?) 🤔

@coolcalmcollected @monkeyninja @RickiTarr

Don't know about Bluesky I'm afraid 😊

🏴🏳‍⚧🏴‍☠8h ago

@TheBreadmonkey @monkeyninja @RickiTarr

it's amazing what you can find in "settings" (sarcasm)

you're not missing anything. I've blocked/muted thousands of accounts over there to make it tolerable.

🏴🏳‍⚧🏴‍☠9h ago

@TheBreadmonkey @monkeyninja @RickiTarr

found the settings on both websites. Thanks!