Are there any solution to the lack of algorithms on #mastodon or the #fediverse, like third-party tools or clients?
I know it's a controversial topic, but I only come on here once every few weeks, and it would be very helpful to see popular posts rather than the latest posts.
This is a little off-topic and axe-grindy, but:
I was just having an exchange with someone over the notion that #Fediverse is without algorithms.
But it DOES have an algorithm! Fediverse clients, like #Mastodon, tend to do a chronological display, which IS an #algorithm, just a really simplistic one that doesn't serve a lot of users particularly well.
The reason this is more than a pedantic point is because, as you say, it's a controversial topic but shouldn't be.
Should I propose an algorithm that would serve users better, I'd have to show its benefit, but also, I'd have to overcome the hurdle of it being an algorithm *when everyone is already using an algorithm*.
So it's an artificial controversy that stands in the way of improved algorithms to make user experiences better.
So yeah, I don't have an actual answer to your question, only a point that we have an attitude around here that prevents solutions to the problem you bring up. Grrrrr.
And stepping off my soapbox :)
complaint 1) is unsolvable because it's a personal preference; some people just want chronological order, maybe they don't follow many people.
complaint 2a) won't necessarily be true for Mastodon because there are no ads
complain 2b) depends on how good your algorithm is.
But 2) is tricky, because socialMedia *is* bad for your mental health, so any algorithm that makes it easier to use is inherently bad.
@volkris @raph The algorithm controversy isn't about algorithms generally; it's about algorithms that sort by "interestingness" specifically.
The complaints boil down to:
1) the algorithm makes me uncertain that I have seen all the posts from people I follow.
2) the algorithm shows me content that is actively bad for my mental health, because:
2a) the algorithm's programmer is trying to maintain my attention for ads.
2b) the things normal people like offend me.