#writingwonders
This month I am going to focus on a #fantasyseries of books I began a long time ago that I call my Threads Series that I want to return to and decide whether I should #self-publish.
Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, posted a message on #Threads explaining why Meta is committed to adding #ActivityPub support. The reason he lists is the ability to take your social graph to another server.
In one media article after another we read about how Threads and Bluesky are "decentralized social media platforms." Guess what, you are not "decentralized" if you only have one "centralized" server.
Can we please stop giving #Bluesky and #Threads#Meta credit for being #decentalized platforms when all they have done is announce the intention to actually someday be decentralized. Both are currently entirely #centralized corporate platforms.
Can't delete your #Threads account without also deleting your Instagram, non-chronological feed showing stuff from across the platfrom instead of the people you follow, tight algorithmic control of what you see, wall-to-wall bad brand patter... I've never been less mad about being geoblocked from using an app
Well, and now Mark Zuckerberg announces a test, where #posts in #Threads will be visible in the #Fediverse. That's interesting.
Here on this #instance, I don't see anything, but when I search on journa.host for @zuck, I'll get a SSL-error. So there is something there, even if it doesn't work yet. Anyone with more details?
Those of you not plugged into the Mastodon community may not be aware of the predominant reaction to Instagram Threads. This started when it was merely rumored, reaching a crescendo with reports that Meta had been talking to a few of the larger Mastodon instances under NDA, presumably to encourage them not to “defederate”...
ANNOUNCEMENT: The world’s first general purpose #Akkomane server is here!
With great excitement, akkomane.social is open for registrations!
Akkomane is an alternative to #Mastodon and #Threads that provides incredible stability with a beautiful and futuristic Twitter-like front-end for the #Fediverse.
I have launched akkomane.social to demonstrate this software’s unique capabilities.
Currently, I’m capping memberships to 20 people (not bots). While membership preference is given to those who’d like to build and maintain an Akkomane server, everyone is welcome to apply! More membership slots will be available in the coming weeks.
I feel like #Threads would be much better served being used as an on-ramp to the Fediverse for normies and we should be providing ample resources to migrate them out of #Meta ASAP instead of preemptively blocking Threads completely. People on #Mastodon seem overly skittish and reactionary when we can use Threads to poison pill all of Facebook.
Not only will #Threads not be launching in the EU (presumably because it'll be sucking up so much personal data that they can't make it GDPR compliant), but now the The European Court of Justice has agreed with Germany’s anti-cartel watchdog that Meta can't share harvested personal data between Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. That ruling will also apply to Threads.
I was up late last night and we know how that goes - rabbit holes. This time I was trying to find some ways to make my phone feel a little snappier and possibly eliminate the issue I was having where my recent apps button stops working until I restart the phone. On Android 13 I found that if I changed to gesture based navigation...
Remember what I said about not being suckers when it comes to #Meta and #Threads? Meta now says that federation with Threads is a "long" way out. Suckers!
Honestly, the way #Threads is evolving right now, I can absolutely understand why so many Mastodon instances are already blocking Threads before it becomes part of the #Fediverse.
For over a year now, I've known how social media can be and how social it really could be. In less than two weeks Threads has managed to become a brown swamp of anger and hate speech.
If this hits the Fediverse, then all the moderators' work over the last few years will have been for nothing.
Threads is simply turning into a racist, trans-hostile, homophobic swamp due to a lack of moderation.
As a moderator of my Mastodon instance, I was one of the few who was against blocking threads directly without having seen anything of it. Now I would very much vote in favour. (And I'm glad we voted for the block already together with the community)
A lot really needs to happen for Threads to earn a place in the Fediverse. If it will ever happen. (Doubt)
"... the website loads in a special browser built into the app, rather than your phone’s default browser. In 2022, privacy researcher Felix Krause found that Meta injects special “keylogging” JavaScript onto the website you’re visiting that allows the company to monitor everything you type and tap on, including passwords. Other apps including TikTok do the same thing."
I see people here asking us to follow them over to #Threads. I don’t understand that. I’m asking people at Threads to follow me over here, where we’re free from ads and algorithms.
So you've joined Mark Zuckerberg's new app that uploads your entire phone. That's cool. Have fun.
You may have heard of Mastodon. We are something different. A little more complicated and a lot more egalitarian. No billionaires sucking up your financial and health info here. Just good honest friendly human engagement.
If you grow tired of vacuous celebrity posters, and algorithm selected content, give https://spreadmastodon.org/ a try.
#Threads legte einen fulminanten Start hin. In den ersten zwei Stunden nach der Veröffentlichung zählte der Dienst bereits mehr als zwei Millionen Nutzer. ✨
Aber ist der #Twitter -Konkurrent überhaupt nötig?
Was meint ihr?
Yesterday I saw a post on #Threads from a journalist wondering how to do their job without #Twitter. Even to the point they wondered how work was possible without trending topics to look at.
And that’s kinda alarming to be honest. The media has become so dependent on Twitter to find news that they genuinely struggle to find sources and do their job without it.
"Meta's fediverses", federating with Meta to allow communications, potentially using services from Meta such as automated moderation or ad targeting, and potentially harvesting data on Meta's behalf.
"free fediverses" that reject Meta – and surveillance capitalism more generally
The free fediverses have a lot of advantages over Meta and Meta's fediverses, some of which will be very hard to counter, and clearly have enough critical mass that they'll be just fine.
Here's a set of strategies for the free fediverses to provide a viable alternative to surveillance capitalism. They build on the strengths of today's fediverse at its best – including natural advantages the free fediverses have that Threads and Meta's fediverses will having a very hard time countering – but also are hopefully candid about weaknesses that need to be addressed. It's a long list, so I'll be spreading out over multiple posts; this post currently goes into detail on the first two.
Opposition to Meta and surveillance capitalism is an appealing position. Highlight it!
Focus on consent (including consent-based federation), privacy, and safety
Emphasize "networked communities"
Support concentric federations of instances and communities
Consider "transitively defederating" Meta's fediverses (as well as defederating Threads)
Consider working with people and instances in Meta's fediverses (and Bluesky, Dreamwidth, and other social networks) whose goals and values align with the free fediverses'
Build a sustainable ecosystem
Prepare for Meta's (and their allies') attempts to paint the free fediverses in a bad light
Reduce the dependency on Mastodon
Prioritize accessibility, which is a huge opportunity
Commit to anti-fascist, anti-racist, anti-colonial, and pro-LGBTQIA2S+ principles, policies, practices, and norms for the free fediverses
(Opinion:) You're So Vain, You Probably Think This App Is About You: On Meta and Mastodon (micro.coyotetracks.org)
Those of you not plugged into the Mastodon community may not be aware of the predominant reaction to Instagram Threads. This started when it was merely rumored, reaching a crescendo with reports that Meta had been talking to a few of the larger Mastodon instances under NDA, presumably to encourage them not to “defederate”...
For the "Why are you so hostile to Threads federating?" people..
Check this out. Remember that Facebook isn't just the place where moms and aunts swap recipes:...
Just had my first interaction with Meta Services last night. Thought I'd share what I learned.
I was up late last night and we know how that goes - rabbit holes. This time I was trying to find some ways to make my phone feel a little snappier and possibly eliminate the issue I was having where my recent apps button stops working until I restart the phone. On Android 13 I found that if I changed to gesture based navigation...