Mastodon's End? = Uneducated users 👥 and Uneducated links 🔗 ... Upgrade Brains else we serve link to Google + Responsibility is needed else things get taken over / weeds overrun. Mastodon included.,,,
All good things come to an end. Mastodon included.
This is what we need to prepare for:
When #Mastodon changes (not even ends but *changes*) into something less than it was or others override it...
Like all good things, naturally others will try to merge with it / railroad it / buy it out in other ways (even if it's not for profit etc it can be done). What holds it together is "better average users" else people are the same 'dumb' users that end up somewhere else with maybe only a bit of a better clue after getting here...
(progress or potential is still more than just creating an account)...
What we do about this inevitable point in time (when the time comes) is most important to move and keep doing things well.
I'm not encouraging a downfall but it's obvious we're already being merged etc.
So changing to funnel ourselves in into better things is likely... because "all good things come to an end."
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WHY / WHAT'S YOUR IDEA?
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The commercial links on Mastodon / Fediverse is killing us and our movements - no doubt about that per click (millions per day and per link).
I think if we (developers included) don't try develop curve better habits using our software then we are losing big. Because on the one hand we do good work (even over-do it) but then the other hand is letting things slip too easily with links to commercial links like YouTube ( Google ) that could be filtered by user and even helped by software to add automatically another 'Alternative Link' as part of software and options.
So I mean specifically links to YouTube and Google video that could be #redirects and #filtered link / #proxy - e.g. this link is better than a youtube .com or youtu.be link:
https://redirect.invidious.io/watch?v=YCN_OFF0tHQ
The above for ALMOST EVERY LINK is possible and not feeding the Google farms ...
Links are basically what that harvest our users and developers that don't say / do anything about that... and inside their free model that's bad. Kinda like Linux servers and GPL licenses it's given away all too easily to be exploited.
When users are slack (in being harvested and offering poor links) it's also part of social or developer responsibility I think to advise at least or train - else just becomes another X or Twitter... (both in uneducated users 👥 and uneducated links 🔗)
So "all good things come to an end" is a phrase but "Unless responsibility is taken / given... then you can be more sure it ends sooner or just gets taken over 
so we need to upgrade brains too 🧠
🔧 -> 👥 <-> 🔗 🧠
Responsibility is needed else things get taken over / weeds overrun.
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ADDENDUM / MORE POSITIVE NOTES
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I have to say some of the recently added privacy options added to Mastodon recently are great - mostly listed here in V4.2.0 log:
https://github.com/mastodon/mastodon/releases/tag/v4.2.0
but still lack the social habit of users is leaking things and the weak-point. Giving a tool also needs also this kind of guide or training and let people know "how to links better" using @invidious etc... and hand-holding (a cringe term for most developers I expect who are just wanting to focus on code) is needed... whichever way you go - else you allow people the misunderstanding this is just another commercial social.
If this is a social movement (ask yourself if Mastodon is born a social movement or brings many part of many movements combined?) and if surely a yes for why we came politically in the first place or personally motivated, then as choices and wanting to contribute here more than commercial models as tendencies, it means we must also do the propaganda / advice type work.
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Ok that's the end of this section.
Comments appreciated...
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- is it mostly political or personally involved being on / using Mastodon ?
- developers and admins should care about the links both on their space or as movement to advise people?
- maybe users wouldn't mind changing to Invidious links (or similar newpipe style youtube filters) for the same video?
☑️ It saves them and their followers viewing the adverts and allows download of video too optionally in the interface!
