I have rambled on before about social media, and how some particular sites are better or worse. But no matter what the sites do, how they organize themselves, who runs them, or how popular they are, they all have one flaw that can't be overcome.
People.
No matter what, it is the people on social media, and those who are in charge, that are the problem. Not the algorithm, or the features, rules, policies, etc. It's the people who implemented them, the ones who program the AI algorithm, and the ones who forget the most important thing about all social media.
It's not theirs.
You can post all the pics of your cat, your clever quotes, memes, and anything else that shows various facets of who you are and what you think. But that doesn't make your presence on social media yours. It's run by a huge company using your time to sell and promote stuff.
"BUT!" you may type in all caps, "The Fediverse isn't Meta or Twitter!"
You are right. The Fediverse, aka "federated universe," is "a decentralized social network of independent servers that can connect and communicate with each other."
Mastodon and Bluesky seem to be the big two of these types. Individuals can create their own "Instance" (is that what it's still called?) where like-minded people can come and interact with others. Where rules help weed out troublemakers and those not wishing to conform with the person in charge of the Instance. Think of it as a gated community that has rules enforced by the HomeOwners Association. You get all the rights and privileges of the community, so long as you get along with the HOA.
Which brings me back to the main flaw with all social media. People. You may sign up for one of these places, and get along for a while with everyone, sort of like how Threads was at the beginning. It's exciting to be part of something new and make tons of new friends. But as time goes on, you may find you don't always like other people's posts or comments, even if they are within the guidelines. And if you decide to report one person's comments or posts, or bring up something you dislike, you better hope the person running the Instance agrees with you, or you could be on the outs. It may take longer to find the crappy people on the Fediverse, but they will be there too. Hopefully, they aren't running the Instance you're on. I won't get into the reports of discrimination and elitism on these bastions of supposed freedom from "Big" social media, like Meta. Look it up for yourself.
On places like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, etc. there will ALWAY be crappy people to deal with. Think of them like Walmart or Amazon. You know they are a global company, and you only matter as long as you buy something. "Big" social media is the same. They'll put out policies and guidelines to give the impression of trying to be helpful and caring. But as long as people keep visiting, clicking and scrolling, they are happy.
The Fediverse may have some islands of positivity and fun, but it will eventually come down to people. While some want to genuinely communicate with like-minded people, others just want to spread negativity disguised as being "clever". Some, emboldened by the anonymity, feel the freedom to express their hate and ignorance. Others, who feed off any ideas that reinforce their skewed ideals, or make them feel heard, will doom-scroll and share anything and everything, real or not, thus spreading stupidity further. And they will do it, whether on Meta or Mastodon.
Social media has changed so much since coming into existence, but it seems it has changed people more. It has given us access to cool people, and knowledge. But it has helped those who wallow in ignorance to embrace their stunted beliefs. Why would they seek to educate themselves when the answers they prefer are right here, fed to them by an algorithm indifferent to what is good or bad, because it is easier for the people behind it all to make money without being vigilant.
It all comes back to people. Their indifference. Their ego. Their desire to make money and use others, now AI, to do the hard work.
Social media is a tool. And like any tool, it can be used for good or evil.
It depends on the people.
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
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