volkris @volkris@qoto.org
I think the most pressing and fundamental problem of the day is that people lack a practically effective means of sorting out questions of fact in the larger world. We can hardly begin to discuss ways of addressing reality if we can't agree what reality even is, after all.
The institutions that have served this role in the past have dropped the ball, so the next best solution is talking to each other, particularly to those who disagree, to sort out conflicting claims.
Unfortunately, far too many actively oppose this, leaving all opposing claims untested. It's very regressive.
So that's my hobby, striving to understanding the arguments of all sides at least because it's interesting to see how mythologies are formed but also because maybe through that process we can all have our beliefs tested.
But if nothing else, social media platforms like this are chances to vent frustrations that on so many issues both sides are obviously wrong ;)
Joined Dec 2022
@undefined @Alan Yes! And while there are directories of instances that list things like number of users and whether they are open for new registrations, I wish they'd list character limits, since that's such a core feature.
Right now I'm on #qoto in part specifically because of its effective lack of a character limit.
Other, non- #Mastodon platforms running on #fediverse may not have character limits but would still interooperate. Some of the other platforms are more focused on writing.
@fencoul So I glanced at the official #Mastodon technical documentation, and it turns out #ActivityPub DOES refer to it as a Like.
Mastodon is just rebranding like to Favourite.
Not that this actually matters for anything substantial, but I thought it was funny to see.
@kentborg Well, bookmarking is probably up to the individual instance, but every instance I've seen does have a bookmark feature.
The bookmark just saves a post within your own account; it doesn't send notifications or anything, so as a feature it's just about your own instance.
The favourite (official Mastodon spelling) feature goes out on the network so it's more a more cross platform feature than bookmarks.
@jonielena Well, FWIW, I'd much rather be emphasizing empowering users rather than the server owners.
When instance admins tell their users what they can and cannot see on #Mastodon that's bringing the content control over from #Twitter , just with a different individual in power.
IMO we should avoid replicating that situation.
@zaskoda I would respond that #Fediverse is to its core built on identity being coupled to instances, so what you're describing isn't combining with Fediverse at all.
This is related to criticism so many of us have about the technical design that went into #ActivityPub from the beginning. It wasn't built on decentralizing like it could have been.
Sure, it's a step forward and we can recognize that, but meh, it could have been so much better.
@clsytim The difference is that centralized exchanges are optional while centralized instances are the foundation that #ActivityPub is based on.
ActivityPub/Fediverse is inherently, by design, centralized, just with multiple centers federating.
Most uses of crypto, from Bitcoin through web of trust, through public key infrastructure, are decentralized, pushing intelligence to the edges, the opposite of this platform.
@fencoul It should absolutely be like, not favorite, since favorite has the relative denotation that doesn't really fit the application.
This isn't my favorite post. MAYBE "favor" rather than "favorite" even though that language is a bit outmoded.
I don't care about Twitter. We shouldn't have Twitter influencing our choice of language.
@n1ckprince @biggestjoel It's funny because the guy gave up quite a lot of wealth, under threat of a lawsuit, to apparently expose Twitter for having lied to us about its internal editorial power and processes.
There's this mythology about #Musk being built up and extended, but it doesn't really square with the public record.
@mmastrac Here's just one list of #ActivityPub implementations.
Keep in mind that ActivityPub is versatile, so a Mastodon/Twitter-like experience is only one use for it. Anything from RSS feeds to music players can participate in ActivityPub.
@zaskoda What exactly value do you have in mind?
@clsytim I'd say the problem is that #Fediverse, and in particular the #ActivityPub protocol it's built on, didn't actually use much crypto and is more about recentralizing around instances than actually fully decentralizing.
Many of us have MAJOR criticisms of this platform, even as we appreciate that it is an improvement and has won a critical mass.
Just for example, the lack of end to end encryption built into the platform is a huge missed opportunity.
From a crypto standpoint, Fediverse is meh.
I really, really wish they had developed the system with more thought, but they didn't.
@FlohEinstein I mean, he's been releasing internal Twitter documentation showing that the site was a shitshow for years, and he's promised to end that stuff. In that, way, sure, the end of Twitter.
But I suspect this means they're about to release the internal docs that he considers to be the most scandalous.
@MrSnarkyPants Well, a funny thing is that we seem to be going into many walled gardens, with instances threatening to block each other and content posted from one instance not showing up on others.
Tricky place, the way #ActivityPub is set up and interacts with its users.
@null Seems to me the error was ever taking Twitter seriously.
@mergerson I think it's a case of the wrong tool for the job
#Mastodon is emphatically not about elevating important content above other because that involves the messiness of determining what is and isn't important.
So the answer is that Mastodon won't enable those people living in there to get real-time warnings and information about the ongoing tornado outbreak any more than a hammer will turn a screw.
That's simply not its purpose.
@protecttruth But this needs to be followed back another level.
Why are bad journalists profitable while good ones aren't?
The issue isn't that business owners give the public what they want. The issue is one of figuring out how to nudge the public into wanting better things.
Any other solution is mathematically unsustainable.
@freemo Yeah, and it looks like qoto is really leading the way on so many features. That's half of what attracted me to this instance, the other half being #UFoI. It's good work!
So count it as throwing in a feature request to have a hashtag follow button added to the search result pane UI, since it makes it so much easier to tailor the Home feed to a user's wants.
@nosherwan @thomasreggi Jack has been working on a competitor to ActivityPub based fediverse.
But no, I don't think the post made Elon upset. I think Elon shares a lot of Jack's ideas and considers them to be working in the same direction.
@joshuatopolsky Well, this is not a simple issue since one of the core features/curses in federation is diversity in ideas over of what constitutes a bad action or a bad actor :)
So there's a lot of talk, and especially a lot of drama over who gets to set standards that others must conform to, and what should happen to the nonconformists.
But the key is to appreciate that this is a messy topic that will inevitably have compromises in one area and irreconcilable differences in others.
Personally, I think it's best to empower users, as looking to server operators just gets us back to centralization.
I think the most pressing and fundamental problem of the day is that people lack a practically effective means of sorting out questions of fact in the larger world. We can hardly begin to discuss ways of addressing reality if we can't agree what reality even is, after all.
The institutions that have served this role in the past have dropped the ball, so the next best solution is talking to each other, particularly to those who disagree, to sort out conflicting claims.
Unfortunately, far too many actively oppose this, leaving all opposing claims untested. It's very regressive.
So that's my hobby, striving to understanding the arguments of all sides at least because it's interesting to see how mythologies are formed but also because maybe through that process we can all have our beliefs tested.
But if nothing else, social media platforms like this are chances to vent frustrations that on so many issues both sides are obviously wrong ;)
Joined Dec 2022
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