• 16 Posts
  • 10 Comments
Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: June 2nd, 2023

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  • Advertising to people currently on the Fediverse probably isn’t their goal. Neither is just joining the Fediverse. Their goal is to become the Fediverse to swallow it whole.

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embrace,_extend,_and_extinguish

    They also have no incentive to share anti-spam tech. They would be giving up a massive sellin g point of their instance if they did.

    Additionally, Threads is already stripping its implementation of ActivityPub of some features like alt text and CWs. Worse though is that they’re removing the option for a chronological timeline, forcing their algorithm as the only option for its users. This would be fine, except it would also effect content on all instances (to an extent). Given that Threads will no doubt have a userbase larger than that of most instances, and that posts which play into its algorithm will show up for significantly more people, posts which engage with Threads’ algorithm will be boosted more often, thus showing up for more people who aren’t using Threads.

    Say Threads’ algorithm really likes posts that get lots of replies. Someone writes a controversial post on mastodon.social and lots of people on Threads immediately get in arguments in the replies. This post is then promoted by Threads’ algorithm, causing it to be seen by more people on Threads. More eyes on a post means more likelihood of getting a higher number of boosts. Lots of accounts on Threads boost the post, which causes it to be seen by more people in federated instances. Again, more eyes means more likelihood of getting boosted. At this point the post is popular not just in Threads, but also in instances federated with Threads. Which means it’ll pop up more often on other instances that do not federate with Threads. Threads’ algorithm, only being implemented on Threads, extends its toxic influence out even to servers which refuse to federate with Threads.







  • I feel like any response I provide would already be covered by the reply from @Thorned_Rose@kbin.social so I will just suggest that if you have free time you might want to consider volunteering for a local organization that does outreach to houseless people (preferably one that aligns with principles such as Housing First). I do have some recommendations for alternatives to reading books though:

    (All YouTube links proxies through a common Invidious instance)

    Wikipedia articles. While this is often ridiculed, they often provide a great starting point for knowledge. Then, if there’s a claim you’re skeptical of or that is especially interesting to you, follow the citation provided. If it’s a paywalled article, sci-hub (not a legal endorsement, for educational purposes only) should get around it, and for books that you might want to read a section on that get paywalled the same applies to libgen (same disclaimer too).

    Podcasts. This is one you have to be careful with. A lot of podcasts can sound authoritative on a subject while completely misrepresenting it (see Joe Rogan, any IDW-adjacent podcast, etc.) So check sources vigilantly. I personally recommend The Iron Dice: a history podcast currently going over the fall of Weimar Germany. [Also check out the creator’s YouTube channel Three Arrows.

    YouTube Channels. The same warning given to podcasts applies to these as well. Some personal endorsements:

    • Jonas Čeika - CCK Philosophy. Heavy emphasis on philosophy and applying it to history and politics.
    • Anark. Communicates anarchist theory providing historical examples and practical applications.
    • Not Just Bikes. Brief explorations into urban planning and the importance of diversifying our available modes of transportation.
    • Eco Gecko. Another channel largely focused on urban planning, but from a more theoretical and heavily research-backed standpoint.