wordsmith‽ ⁂
I've been thinking about #Mastodon Starter Packs and something occurred to me: before following someone I see if they tend to be parasocial.1000 followers and only following 10? That person likely won't talk back to me so while I'm glad they're here, they're not for me.
If Starter Packs tend towards people with high follow counts, those more often boosted, will this lead newcomers finding their home feed full of people who never reply to them,never interact? That would feel both busy and lonely.
May 20 at 8:59amWeb
Show threadR.L. Dane    🍵 3d ago

@wordsmith

Definitely. It's a very consumery mindset. I don't need #fedi to replace RSS. I'm here to talk to interesting folks.

The conventional wisdom of posting on and searching several hashtags that interest you and finding friends that way is still the best advice, IMO.

And, self-own, I guess, but I've already muted 2-3 of the most prolific political Mastodon accounts, because they never interact with anybody, and only post frustrating-but-necessary-and-true takes on the horrible conditions of the day.

I ain't here for that.

And I'm not here for folks who view the #fediverse as a place to promulgate their ideas, and not interact, learn, and grow.

That's why I'm here, and this place has been a huge part of my life for the past four years. 💗

Show threadwordsmith‽ ⁂3d ago
@rl_dane Yeah I also find those ultrapopular accounts often don't engage in netiquette in the least; non-captioned images, non-CWed talk about awful news etc. I'm glad people can follow these people and wouldn't want them kicked out but that sort of relationship is the antithesis of why I'm here.
Show threadR.L. Dane    🍵 3d ago

@wordsmith

Exactly. I gave up on trying to educate them, and I find the narrative of people saying "Please CW this (truthful) doomy news" is "toxic" hilarious and dumb.

I just love how people paint "I care about our mental health" as being "toxic" or "preachy" 🙄

Show threadmillennial fulcrum1d ago

@rl_dane @wordsmith the message you said is right.

what they said is right too (because their preference matters) but yours is more right because your education offered a legit system improvement.

the "toxic" metaphor they used to describe your system improvement is the wrong one though because toxicity is indiscriminate. the appropriate one for their rejection of your system improvement would be that they are "allergic" to it.

(forgive me please. I've had 3 coffees.)

Show threadсерафими многоꙮчитїи3d ago
@wordsmith totally agree - not here to consume, not here to debate, here to converse and vibe
Show threadEmma Cox3d ago

@wordsmith It's like sticking the new kid at school with the most popular. People are going to be overwhelmed by many people and nobody actually interacting.

I prefer using the hashtags to find people with similar interests. I also do housework and check on who I am following and who follows me. I culled a few hundred recently because people had started an account and then stopped posting a few months later.

Show threadwordsmith‽ ⁂3d ago

@Emmacox IME curation of one's account results in a much more rewarding experience. I want a bonsai not a monocultural managed woodland.

There is probably friction for new and/or non-techie people, which does need work, but once someone has been shown the ropes, and understands what each feature is for, they've then been empowered to choose how social media works for them.

Show threadEmma Cox3d ago

@wordsmith I have a bonsai garden so I can offer bonsai!

I didn’t find it too difficult to grasp the ropes. Perhaps it’s because I’m old enough to remember forums and social media before the algorithms and adverts.

Show threadvolkris3d ago

@wordsmith

Just because you don't follow many people doesn't mean you don't interact.

The two are independent of each other.

Show threadBrent "the birdman" Loon1d ago
@wordsmith People use social media for different reasons. I don't mind that someone doesn't reply to me. I might be following them to read news or pics of cats.