I and others have talked a lot about the #Facebook / #Meta#FediVerse issue over the past few days, analyzing their strategy, and possible responses, and why pre-emptive blocking isn't an effective measure.
This leaves the question of "what should we do?" So....
ITT: actually effective measures for building the resilience of the FediVerse and #ActivityPub, informed by the experience of the #OSS movement.
Point blank, a mass Fediblock isn't going to work with #Meta.
The cold truth is that people will use #Barcelona whether it federates or not. Even if it fails, Barcelona will probably have more users out of the gate than almost every project save Mastodon. Hell, it will probably eclipse #Bluesky too.
And even if you convince every server to defederate -- which you won't -- this will not be a PR coup for the Fediverse. Newspaper headlines won't blare "Fediverse successfully resists Meta." Instead, they will probably follow @gruber take with "Open source zealots complain that an open protocol is open."
Again, as I've said countless times, I'm not saying you should federate with Barcelona or any Meta-owned property. If you want, defederate. The joy of the Fediverse is freedom of association.
But a mass Fediblock doesn't solve a few important problems with Meta, and perhaps makes them worse.
The most critical problem is that Meta users need to migrate away from Meta-owned social networks. Until now, a migration path has simply been unfeasible to most. But when Barcelona gets launched, it is possible that many of them will become aware of a greater Fediverse.
How to build that awareness? By interacting with them through services beyond Barcelona.
This approach works. I've interacted with many Mastodon users through services beyond Mastodon, and this has resulted in adoption of other Fediverse software. #Calckey is a case in point.
However, there's a bigger problem concerning Meta: Fediverse replacements for Meta-owned social networks aren't getting mass adoption. And it's not because these apps aren't good.
#Pixelfed is an #Instagram replacement. It is also one of the slickest apps on the Fediverse. Yet, Pixelfed only has 150,000 registered accounts.
#Friendica is a #Facebook replacement. It's been around since 2010. It is a mature product that does many things very well, but Friendica only has 17,000 registered accounts.
The software is great but we are failing to effectively market the Fediverse beyond Mastodon. Now I'm trying my darnedest to change this, and so are many people. But facts are facts. Fediverse alternatives to Meta are a blip on the radar.
Refusing to federate with Barcelona won't change this. How do I know?
Because we don't federate now, and the status quo remains intact.
Meanwhile, Meta is practically gifting Pixelfed and Friendica an opportunity for federation, and it would be foolish to not consider broader implications.
How is it that more people aren't considering this opportunity?
Dare I say that most people -- including devs -- suffer from myopia concerning what the Fediverse is. The Fediverse is not Mastodon, and it is wrong to view the Fediverse solely through the eyes of Mastodon.
And I'll go further: by focusing Barcelona on text, I suspect that Meta is likewise making the same mistake of viewing the Fediverse as a "Twitter killer".
What they may not be considering is that the Fediverse might be a "Meta killer" too. And connecting Barcelona to the Fediverse is opening a can of worms Meta hasn't entirely considered yet.
If Barcelona is indeed text-based, what will happen when a Barcelona user encounters Pixelfed and asks, "Why does this post show reels? And why can't I do the same?"
Believe me, this is the kind of content that triggers migration.
We need to think bigger than Fediblock. Yes, for your own mental health and safety, you may not want to federate with Barcelona. However, there needs to also be a means for Barcelona users to encounter content outside Barcelona.
Perhaps there needs to be "lobby" servers that help Barcelona users enter the greater Fediverse -- helping them make the switch beyond Meta.
"Aby zachować zgodność ze zmieniającymi się przepisami europejskimi, wprowadzamy nową opcję subskrypcji w krajach UE, EOG i Szwajcarii. W listopadzie zaoferujemy osobom korzystającym z Facebooka lub Instagrama i mieszkającym w tych regionach możliwość dalszego bezpłatnego korzystania z tych spersonalizowanych usług z reklamami lub wykupienia subskrypcji, aby nie widzieć reklam. Dopóki użytkownicy są subskrybentami, ich dane nie będą wykorzystywane w reklamach."
Przypominajka: #fediwersum jest bez reklam, bezpłatne, nie śledzi, nie ściemnia algorytmami, nie obcina zasięgów, nie obraża się za linki w treści, nie każe Ci spędzać z nim całego dnia. Wybierz sieć społecznościową mądrze ;)
100 osób obserwujących na fedi daje więcej niż 1000 na FB. Bo te na fb i tak nie dostaną Twoich treści...
Folks, the reason #Facebook/ #Instagram/ #Meta/ Zuckerberg hasn’t launched #Threads in the #EU isn’t because the EU is determined to protect your privacy, it’s because the EU is determined to protect The Single Market (peace be upon it) from anticompetitive behaviour. It’s because they’re using Instagram to launch Threads and sharing data between them (and not with EU startups that might want to use that data too). It’s #antitrust, not #privacy. It’s markets, not people.
I'm of the opinion that #threads should not be engaged with in any way.
Not because I think it's a threat to the #fediverse, although it could potentially be.
Not because I think it will bring a huge amount of bad actors that will harass users on other instances, although that is definitely a risk.
My reason is simpler; #Facebook has done so much evil, society eroding shit, that I don't work with them on principle.
And Facebook knows that as well, which is why threads is instagram branded.
I'm getting really tired of trying to run away from big tech, only to be ensnared again by the greed and/or naivety of sites who ultimately cave to the whims of big tech....
Interesting new details have emerged concerning planned machinations for Meta's takeover of the fediverse. The information was revealed at a "data dialogue" in San Francisco on the subject of "Meta’s Threads Interoperating in the Fediverse".
It seems that the plan is to gradually roll federation out in stages over the next year. The most telling reveal is in the screenshotted toot by Meta advocate Evan:
"Also, as far as I could tell, the most important use case for them is that a creator could move from Threads to their own server, even if they get de-platformed. I think the major motivator here is Mark Zuckerberg having to go testify in front of Congress twice a year or whatever, and getting grilled by conservative Congresspeople about de-platforming. Being able to say, you can get kicked off Threads but keep your followers, is a big win in this situation."
If correct, the impression here is that Meta is interested in ActivityPub's account portability, so they can offload problematic fascists to the fediverse without too much disgruntlement. They see the fedi as a dumping ground into which they can externalize toxic users without having to either moderate them on their own server, or provoke them by wiping out their social graph.
In Zuckerberg's scheme, our community is to become a landfill for fascism.
The notes and accounts from the FediForum in late September suggest that some of "the people who move the fediverse forward", as the conference promotes itself as platforming, are also acutely interested in moving forward the agenda of Meta.
The forum's notes tell the tale. Though a number of topics, including many of genuine benefit, were touched upon, digging through the sessions turns up a path of breadcrumbs that leads straight back to Palo Alto.
So we are about to lose access to WhatsApp, Apple and Facebook in the UK. If it happens I cannot imagine what the reaction of the public will be [irony]?
Seriously what on earth are the Tories thinking? They are as reliant on these platforms as the rest of us. Do they think that the tech companies are bluffing and that the UK is too important a market to exit? If they do, they could be in for an awful shock.
Thoughts regarding #Facebook and the #Fediverse. A lot of this grows out of my previous thread.
First, methodology. There are some bad ones floating around. Some seem to be based on a supposed metaphysical moral taint to Facebook or capital generally. Others draw allusions to gentrification or big chains or whatnot, but break down under closer analysis- the dynamics are completely different. We can set those aside.
#Twitter is a proprietary platform. #Facebook is a proprietary platform. #WhatsApp is a proprietary platform. #Instagram is a proprietary platform. #Telegram is a proprietary platform. #Signal is a proprietary platform. #Mastodon is a proprietary platform.
I see a lot of posts on fediverse trashing reddit, Twitter, spez, musk and so on, and rightfully so. But like it or not, the mass majority of users on the internet still use these sites, and some of us still want to interact with the friends and communities we are a part of on those sites. And there's nothing wrong with that...
👋 to all of my #trans & #LGTBQ friends. We need to talk about the cis-het progressive/liberal problem, and I hope that you might be able to help me get through to the ones in my life.
I spent a few days with some old friends that I haven't seen in a while. At one point, Jason Aldean and #TransRights both came up in conversation. These people are solid #Democratic voters that hate all things #MAGA. They also happen to be Jewish, which I would think should make them sensitive to #fascism.
They don't watch #FeauxNews or any other right wing bullshit. They do, however, consume #Facebook & #Instagram feeds daily. It was their impression that trans people are forcing other people to use pronouns and make special arrangements for them. They also think that people uncomfortable with trans people should be free to bunk at camp in a cabin without trans people in it.
I 💯% know and believe that #TransRightsAreHumanRights but how can I more effectively pierce their myopic bubble?
If you’re on mastodon.social, I would highly recommend that you switch to a different server that protects its people instead of exposing them to a well-known bad actor like Facebook/Meta via Threads.
And remember that Mastodon is not the fediverse. The fediverse is much more than just Mastodon and definitely more so than mastodon.social and Mastodon gGmbH.
We’re moving to a new city and the only community I can find for it is on #Facebook.
So, as much as I don’t want to, I decide to make a Facebook account again just to access this community…
(This is why communities must not be locked behind the walled gardens of surveillance capitalists. But even if we create fedi/Small Web alternatives, we still need to let the existing ones know they exist somehow.)
…Anyway, long story short, I can’t – they’ve #blacklisted my name :)
Billionaire Mark Zuckerberg’s next passion is cows and beef. And to start with his passion, he has said that he is raising cows on an island in Hawaii by feeding them macadamia nuts and beer. The idea is, according to Zuckerberg, to create best beef in the world. Critics call cattle-raising project on Hawaii ranch ‘a...
Prowadzę różne profile w sieci. Wcześniej musiałem korzystać z kilku przeglądarek, by w każdej być "zalogowanym" jako kto inny albo oddzielać sobie pracę od spraw osobistych. Albo żeby G. czy FB mnie nie profilowało.
Dzięki Firefox Multi-Account Containers mogę sobie założyć tyle kontenerków na sieciowe "osobowości", ile chcę.
Do każdej mogę przypisać kolor, który widzę nad otwartym tabem w przeglądarce. Osobna karta -> osobny profil #Mastodon, #Facebook, #Twitter, #YouTube itd. itp.
Sporo mi to uprościło i pozwoliło zaoszczędzić ram i cpu, bo pracuję w 1 browserze a nie w 8. No i wszystkie "trollkonta" w jednym miejscu mam 😉
Yesterday Justin Trudeau revealed that agents of the Indian government murdered a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil. When Canadian Sikhs went to post about it on Facebook, the platform removed their posts as a violation of Indian law.
I’m seeing a lot of people badmouthing Facebook/Meta and saying we shouldn’t federate with Threads.
Mastodon.social is owned by Mastodon gGmbH and run by the author of Mastodon. Mastodon.social federates with Threads. If Facebook/Meta were toxic, do you think they would? Of course, not.
Facebook/Meta has Mastodon’s author’s (& the original Mastodon server’s) seal of approval. So you should all shush because clearly you’re mistaken.
The state of the internet 2023
Could we get official word on what Kbin's stance is towards federating with Meta?
I would like to know if I can feel safe here, or if I should pack it up and start looking elsewhere sooner rather than later....
Meta is promoting Threads posts on Facebook and there’s no way to opt out (www.engadget.com)
Meta is starting to ramp up its growth-hacking tactics for Threads in a bid to boost engagement on the Twitter competitor.
Let's say the worst case scenario happens with kbin and Meta. What are some alternate sites/instances that would be more resilient to enshitification?
I'm getting really tired of trying to run away from big tech, only to be ensnared again by the greed and/or naivety of sites who ultimately cave to the whims of big tech....
There's nothing wrong with using Reddit, Twitter, and other mainstream site still while being active on fediverse.
I see a lot of posts on fediverse trashing reddit, Twitter, spez, musk and so on, and rightfully so. But like it or not, the mass majority of users on the internet still use these sites, and some of us still want to interact with the friends and communities we are a part of on those sites. And there's nothing wrong with that...
Mark Zuckerberg raising cows by feeding them dry fruits and beer, says he wants to create world's best beef (ground.news)
Billionaire Mark Zuckerberg’s next passion is cows and beef. And to start with his passion, he has said that he is raising cows on an island in Hawaii by feeding them macadamia nuts and beer. The idea is, according to Zuckerberg, to create best beef in the world. Critics call cattle-raising project on Hawaii ranch ‘a...