CiaraEvery time a newcomer posts an introduction and somebody tells them they shouldn’t have joined Mastodon.social and need to move to a different server, an angel loses their wings.
John
Annika Backstrom@johnlorimer @CiaraNi It's impossible to effectively moderate such a huge server, so you have this catch-22 where the server is a vector for spam and harassment, but can be seen as "too big to block" because such a large percentage of the network lives there.
Overall it's bad for the health of the Fediverse, so some block it regardless and advocate for folks moving off and the server closing registrations.
@annika @johnlorimer I'll never find it welcoming to tell people who've just arrived, literally just joined Mastodon, that they're on the wrong server when it is not a server doing something actually despicable & egregious. I often see people going into the replies of Hello, Mastodon! introductions to give the newcomer unsolicited instructions to move server or questioning the way they are moving from Big Tech.
Edit to add: I know you didn't do this! You just answered an asked question (thanks)
@johnlorimer What are the big reasons you decided to stick with Mastodon?
@annika To keep the answer simple - I think it is the only corner of the internet left that is worthwhile. It aligns with my values.
It helps that I am a life long nerd.
It helps that I am a life long nerd.
@johnlorimer @annika I'm only on Mastodon too. I am not a nerd (that I'm aware of), but I like the fact that it's human-sized and full of humans and people actually talk to one another in here. A nice corner of the internet, as you say.
@johnlorimer @annika Such a shame, when something we enjoy gets destroyed like that. So much AI asbestos has been stuffed into the walls of the internet.
@johnlorimer @annika It is a great analogy, for which I can take no credit. I read an article that used Asbestos for an AI analogy (I want to say it was Cory Doctorow, but am too lazy to check right now). I've used it ever since, I think it really captures that situation and the mess that AI is making for the future.
Rachel E. S. Lösche@resl Ah, it was. Thank you. I found it.
'AI is the asbestos in the walls of our technological society, stuffed there with wild abandon by a finance sector and tech monopolists run amok. We will be excavating it for a generation or more."
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/jan/18/tech-ai-bubble-burst-reverse-centaur
