MFM-enabled emoji animations have given me a "Eureka!" moment over the past few days -- and I think this might be the Fediverse's killer feature.
"But they seem so inconsequential!" some of you might protest.
Yes, but inconsequence often turns into consequence. 140 characters were once considered inconsquential. Ditto photo filters. The same is true for video loops on Vine and TikTok. And yet they all prove to be impactful.
But before I talk further, for those who aren't aware, what is MFM?
MFM stands for Misskey Flavored Markdown. It's a custom flavor of the Markdown syntax tailored specifically for the #Misskey social network platform, but has since been adopted on #Calckey and #Akkoma. And I have no doubt that other server software will plan their own compatibility soon.
MFM extends standard Markdown syntax with additional features and customizations to enhance the user experience. Here's some unique features:
Additional text formatting options, such as font size and color, allowing users to extend customization of text
Flexible syntax for links, quotes, code, and math
Custom emoji support, and animation thereof
It's this last feature that might be the Fediverse's killer feature. Why do I say that?
They are attention grabbing. When someone sees an animated emoji, they cause a post to stand out.
They're also incredibly expressive. More so than mere text-based communication, emojis by themselves convey so much in one character. When you add animation into the mix, they add motion and dynamism, which enables people to express themselves vividly and creatively.
MFM animations invite unique customizations allowing for unique expressions. This fosters a sense of belonging and identity amongst people who share this unique form of art, enabling opportunities for in-jokes and unique community symbols.
They are instantly shareable, which creates buzz and draws more people to the Fediverse.
In my own observations, MFM-enabled emoji animations draw more engagement and reactions which leads to more activity -- as has been the case with calckey.social.
They are novel. While emojis may be available on all platforms, MFM-enabled emojis provide a unique and fresh experience -- attracting even more people who are drawn to this innovative feature.
MFM-enabled emojis result in the decentralized nature of the Fediverse having a more cohesive community. Because they can be shared amongst multiple servers and multiple server software, this gives the Fediverse that's presently not duplicated on Big Social.
This may foster a sense of belonging, building close-knit communities empowered by this unique means of communication. Inevitably, this may attract more newcomers to try their hand at this niche-for-now feature. This will help the Fediverse differentiate itself from the mainstream social media platforms.
But of course, the biggest reason MFM-enabled emoji animations could be the Fediverse's killer feature is simply because of stuff like this:
Unfortunately, Mastodon does not display MFM-enabled emoji animations. But to really appreciate this demo, visit this link: https://calckey.social/notes/9eqm90uxjg