wordsmith‽ ⁂4d ago
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.
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‽ ⁂

@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.

May 20 at 1:13pmWeb
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.