this post was submitted on 09 Dec 2022
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I mean honestly, it doesn't seem like it matters to me. An instance gets a feed from instances it has federated with. What difference does it make if one instance orders that content differently to another? It becomes another point of differentiation between instances, and non algorithmic options will always remain available at the instance level, and presumably even the user level
Yeah, it's entirely a philosophical problem, and one that I'm mostly at peace with, so long as the fediverse remains somewhat decentralized. The cynic in me wonders if it's only a matter of time before the larger instances make a substantial break in federation and mostly go off on their own, but I suppose that wouldn't affect the rest of the fediverse. It'd just affect our larger goal of getting more people into a decentralized network.
I have never used Tumblr, and I have no idea whether it's chronological or whether it has an algorithm, but if it does use an algorithm, I can't imagine that changing when they join the fediverse. But even if most of them get an algorithmic feed combining tumblr and greater fediverse content, as long as I can access their content on my own terms, it's all good to me. Even if tumblr pulls lots of users away from smaller instances, it still works out ok because I can still control how I consume their content.
It only becomes a problem if tumblr pulls people away from the greater fediverse, and then disconnects from it, but that's a different issue altogether, and one that worries me more than algorithms
While having multiple, mutually exclusive fediverses would be a disappointing step down from the idea of a single cohesive fediverse, even that would be better than everybody being on a corporate silo. I could also envision a future where some organizations have their own fediverse with varying levels of interaction with a wider, public fediverse.