@evan
Yes, but it's also potentially part of the problem. We can wall them off from the good-Fediverse, but the nature of the thing is that the dark mirror fediverse continues to exist and to connect the worst people.

@evan

Truth Social was born out of Mastodon
And so were a lot of extremist instances which are still active and popular.

The nature of the Fediverse and by extension most FOSS is that they are open and unrestrictive with their software access/usage.

On the other hand, it did also give rise to a lot of political groups from varying parts of the political spectrum.

I think so social media platforms shouldn't lean towards one side of the spectrum. A diverse set of views and opinions should be welcome. But it almost never is the case. Each platform is known for having one kind of bias or the other.

Take Bluesky, it's filled with Left-leaning people who left Twitter because of Musk/Trump. There's a homogeneity to the politics of the opinions shared over there. Some would call it an "Echo Chamber."

Truth Social- Only MAGA idiots.

X- a bit of both.

Fediverse- Depends on the instance. :) One can interact with all kinds of people here, and I think that's a good thing as far as exposure & bias is concerned.

#Politics #Fediverse #Mastodon

Fediverse meta pol

@evan Use every available tool. They will/are.

Medien: 1

worldpol, fediverse

@evan Yes, but... we have to be vigilant about expressing our own impatience, keeping it respectful when the facts fail to convince.

@evan Yes, but only with the aspect that they take away control from the US controlled commercial social media platforms.

@evan yes but... I don't think that any platform/technology is necessarily the solution.

@evan yes, but becoming insular is what we have to watch out for. Silly Fedi-vs-Bluesky spats, for example, will get us nowhere. People use what's convenient and what the people around them use.

@evan no technology is neutral, but no technology is capable of solving social problems on its own.

Furthermore, the advance of the shit-right among the population is not a spontaneous problem, but is determined by enormous investments that the timocracy has allocated and continues to allocate to orient public opinion, ensure the loyalty of publishers, finance politicians and manipulate elections.

The closed and manipulative algorithms of the platforms modify democratic balances, while open ecosystems consolidate democracy, stimulate diversity and incentivize participation.

The Fediverse can therefore be a solution to the extent that it constitutes an alternative to manipulative technologies.

As for the advance of the right In fact, the problem is not the populist right in and of itself, but rather the fact that the populist right constitutes an extraordinary vector for bringing the predatory aristocracy of large technological companies to power.

@evan

Oh bugger, I read that incorrectly and said no, when it should be a YES!!!

@evan

A small part of the solution, sure. Here we can make arguments without being silenced by the oligarchy. But social media are a mixed blessing.

@evan Yes, but it's a small part. Anything outside of corporate platforms is a win for the people, and immune from fascist control.

@evan This may be a Masto-specific problem but it sort of feels like everyone is raising alarms non-stop without coming up with solutions. People screaming "Trump is doing this" or "ICE is doing that" but barely a word is devoted to calls for action. It's just non-stop doomerism almost designed to make the reader feel helpless and despondent.

I think if the fediverse is going to play some sort of role in pushing back on these things, we need to start, well, pushing back.

@evan @dulcedemon i hate to be a downer but the fediverse isn't solving anything until it gets broader adoption.

@evan Yes, but... we are still lacking tools to manage discussion and clamp down un-wanted interactions / trolls / toxic behaviours _at scale_ (<- that's the key point).

The latest Pixelfed bug is interesting, in that a bug in _another service you don't use_ may potentially expose your toots against your wishes.

I can only think of more encryption as the solution to this last point, but I think that's not trivial.

@evan voted “Yes, but”.

Here are some nice buts https://mastodon.social/@urlyman/114246106424483045

@evan Yes, but it's more like part of the solution.

Far-Right populism doesn't only abuse algorithmic tendencies but also psychological functions of people.

Thanks, everyone. My answer is "Yes, but". The "but" being that we have to continue to make it more of a part of the lives of more of the people on the planet.