These two maps are a good example how data visualization influences our perception. Same election, same results, but one shows the winning party by area, one by population density. (Map Credits: Karim Douïeb, Jetpack.ai)

Edit: This is not based on the midterms this week. I wanted to point out the difference in visualization. It was originally done in 2019

I just set up a filter for "RT" and it instantly cleared my feeds of most of the cross-poster stuff.

I am quite uninterested in birdsite cross posts. They are almost universally broadcasty with no attempt at creating interaction or conversation.

That's very out of place on #mastadon and the larger #fediverse.

Mastodon will update to 4.0 soon! Here are the most exciting new features (in addition to fixes & changes):

- ability to follow hashtags
- ability to filter by language
- ability to translate posts
- ability to post HEIC files (i.e. your iPhone’s native photo format)
- define user roles (big deal for admins)
- define sign-up process on your Instance (admins again)

See all changes here: https://github.com/mastodon/mastodon/releases/tag/v4.0.0rc1

Thanks, @Gargron and @Mastodon Team. #Mastodon4