NovaFuture21h ago

What if independent social networks were no longer synonymous with loneliness? This article is both an invitation to debate and a call to action. Can't wait to read your thoughts and please share!

https://novafuture.org/underground-culture/sense8-and-activitypub-what-if-the-connection-was-real/

#activitypub #fediverse #mastodon #culture

Sense8 and ActivityPub: what if everything was connected?

Sense8 cancelled by Netflix despite 500,000 mobilized fans. What if this series was an allegory of the Fediverse? An immense potential. Not yet fully exploited.

NovaFuture
Show threaddeutrino16h ago

@novafuture

> So why do we still end up with infinite scrolling that doesn’t lead anywhere? Why do we end up chasing boosts and favorites just like on corporate social networks? Why does trending always push the same big accounts? Why do most users passively consume instead of creating, sharing, and exchanging?

...huh?

oh, you're on dot social. maybe that explains it.

Show threaddeutrino16h ago

@novafuture

> The Fediverse has trending. That’s good, knowing what’s trending matters. You find solid stuff there. But trending is the opposite of random. Trending on its own only amplifies what already exists.

when you say "Fediverse" here, you seem to be talking about The Mastodon Network™.

I've never once used Eugen's crappy trending feature, but I've been on ActivityPub since 2017.

the entire premise of this article seems weird, I don't experience fedi like it suggests at all.

Show threadNovaFuture15h ago
@deutrino Thanks for your feedback. If your experience doesn't match what's described, it's probably because the author intentionally started from a beginner's user experience. That explains it.
Show threaddeutrino

@novafuture yeah, and I didn't mean to be snarky, it's just so wildly different from my experience where fedi is vastly more nourishing & engaging than every other "social media" I've been on apart from BBSes and Tumblr.

fedi also wasn't lonely for me at the start because in 2017, as a heavy Tumblr user I was used to having to poke around and find cool people. that idea doesn't click for many noobs detoxing from corporate networks in 2026, and more intentional discovery features would be great.

11:07pmWeb
Show threaddeutrino13h ago
@novafuture I still think a domain-specific language for writing pluggable discovery algorithms and feed-remixing algorithms which could then be shared among users and/or published in an algorithm smorgasbord would be an amazing feature for fedi platforms, been saying that for like 8 years but too preoccupied with life problems to develop such a thing.
Show threadNovaFuture12h ago
@deutrino That's cool, you understood that we had a constructive approach :-) Indeed, setting up a proper discovery system is work. But not that much. After all, we're just Mastodon users. But if several of us start requesting this feature, maybe it will get the Mastodon developers moving?
Show threaddeutrino12h ago
@novafuture I'm personally at a short-final point in my path to stepping away from Mastodon and toward other ActivityPub software with my various fedi projects (just about done shuffling selfhosting resources around, buying domains etc) because I haven't liked how Mastodon development goes for a long time, but I will say that with the recent organizational changes, it might be a pretty good time to try. success will likely take a good number of voices and a high frustration tolerance though.
Show threadNovaFuture12h ago
@deutrino Personally, I still believe Mastodon is a good alternative. But you have to take it for what it is: microblogging with its limitations. However, it's a good entry point to the Fediverse. Would you like to tell us more about your projects?