this post was submitted on 28 Oct 2024
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Relaxed section for discussion and debate that doesn't fit anywhere else. Whether it's advice, how your week is going, a link that's at the back of your mind, or something like that, it can likely go here.
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No worries, I enjoy conversations like this. Though would you mind explaining what you mean by "page-less format of format of Mastodon?"
@JCPhoenix We also learned about information utopias and dystopias, where tools like social media contribute to negative and positive experiences as a result of their vitality in our lives. I also would love to get your thoughts on whether or not a website like Mastodon contributes to either the utopia or dystopia direction that social media is taking society.
I think Mastodon is better since it's not algorithmic. I could create a bubble of negativity (or positivity) if I wanted to on Mastodon, but I'd have to go out there and search for it and then build it, right? It's different from maybe, on Twitter, tweeting something negative, then the algorithm serving me up similar negative content, which I consume, which gives me more, so and so forth.
In addition, I definitely don't spend as much time on Mastodon as I do on, say, Instagram or YouTube, which is serving me content algorithmically. That's probably a positive, too.
Though given that IG and YT are more unidirectional -- content creator serves content to viewer with little in the opposite direction, other than comments -- whereas Twitter and Mastodon are more multidirectional, with conversation happening between people in the threads, that it's more of a "true" communications platform, the lack of the algorithm on Mastodon does make it more difficult to have those spontaneous interactions. Whether that's a good thing or not probably depends on the person. Some people just want to consume content, while others want to participate in the content. I guess that's kinda tangential to your question!
@JCPhoenix Cool! I don't think its tangential at all actually. A large part of social interaction is the fact that the response you get is more often than not dependent on what you wanted going in.
Do you think that finding your own communities and content on Mastodon might be a solution for mitigating the spread of misinformation? Should more platforms consider adopting the same decentralized style?
@JCPhoenix Sure! So on platforms like TikTok and Twitter, they have kind of a homepage which contains content that the algorithms of the platform thinks the user will like. In class, we've been learning about how these types of algorithms can be influenced to provide certain content to do things like keep attention. Mastodon does not have a homepage (also called a "for-you page") I was wondering if it had any affect on how you managed information overload on social media?
I guess I kinda answered this one in my other comment.
Idk, what do you think about all this? What do you think about Mastodon so far?
@JCPhoenix Frankly, when it comes to things like mitigating information overload and being able to choose your own content, I feel like it circumvents a lot of the issues people are having with social media like TikTok or Youtube recommending content that only a small portion of people like.
From what I can tell, it feels a lot more chill and less like you're being overloaded with content and opinions because you can choose what you want to see out oof your own media experience