I cross post to everything except x, but I’m still really confused on people preferring Bluesky’s dubious corporate moderation over like volunteer friends and administrators, who we like… know.
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Mastodon Migrationreplied to Lesley Carhart :unverified: last edited by [email protected]
The latest #Bluesky brouhaha raises a really interesting issue with moderation. Seems like any community has both top down authority and collective standards.
Centralized systems primarily rely on top down authority, rules and decisions from whomever is in charge. This works fine so long as most people like the regime, and it is much more efficient. But it falls apart when the interests of the centralized authority deviate from those of segments of the community members.
1/n
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Mastodon Migrationreplied to Mastodon Migration last edited by
Decentralized systems are messier. Authority may be balkanized into different fifedoms. So it may seem arbitrary and confusing. Never-the-less it allows for a natural sorting of different constituencies within the larger community. If you don't like the rules in one place, you may be able to find someplace more suited to your standards.
2/n
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Mastodon Migrationreplied to Mastodon Migration last edited by [email protected]
Also because different segments are actually in competition to appeal to members, the local authorities are restrained from acting in autocratic and capricious ways. People will just leave.
So, while a truly distributed system like Mastodon may be more complicated and have more friction for new users, the fact that it has an organic democratic mechanism for moderating community standards over the long run is a huge natural advantage.
3/n
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Mastodon Migrationreplied to Mastodon Migration last edited by [email protected]
Not super familiar with the current BS moderation controversy, but think it can be simplified to say the BS moderation team, for whatever reasons, are taking an action that upsets a big segment of users. Because authority is centralized, that's it, take it or leave it. You can object and complain, but those are your only options. You can't go anywhere else or set up another server where this account won't be tolerated.
4/n
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Mastodon Migrationreplied to Mastodon Migration last edited by [email protected]
Plus, you are now bound to a regime where decisions may be based on external factors. Like the owners. Don't know if this is true, but what if some big shareholders want a controversial account to be platformed. Again, no recourse.
Open democratic systems don't have the same problem. There may be other things like multiple instances with different characteristics, reply guys and HOAs, but that may be the price we pay for participating in a truly distributed system.
5/5
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@mastodonmigration @hacks4pancakes One of the issues that BS is having is that the moderation team hasn't ramped up it's numbers as quickly as people have joined the service. As such, the moderation team is overwhelmed. It will take time for BS to hire and onboard new people.
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Mastodon Migrationreplied to StanceOfMind last edited by [email protected]
@ronaldtootall @hacks4pancakes
Hate to disagree, but this is kind of exactly the opposite of what this thread is trying to make clear. It is not the number of moderators that is the problem. More moderators are not going to come to a different conclusion about platforming an infamous transphobic account. It is the divergence of objectives between those of some segments of the community from the corporate overlords. It's not a quantity thing. It is an essential structural thing.
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Christopher Bakerreplied to Mastodon Migration last edited by
@mastodonmigration @hacks4pancakes Any moderate platform that attracts decent people away from Zuckerberg and Musk gets my vote. Let's hope that the media, journalists, politicians and governments follow them to Mastodon and Bluesky.
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Mastodon Migrationreplied to Christopher Baker last edited by
Ok, good to know, but that's not really germain to this conversation.
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Christopher Bakerreplied to Mastodon Migration last edited by
@mastodonmigration @hacks4pancakes Are all of your replies so heavily steeped in sarcasm?
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Mastodon Migrationreplied to Christopher Baker last edited by
No. Wasn't being sarcastic. The thread is about how power is differently organized in the two different systems. Didn't think your comment was related to this thesis. Sorry, but it seemed beside the point.
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Christopher Bakerreplied to Mastodon Migration last edited by
@mastodonmigration @hacks4pancakes Stop digging mate. Just stop digging, you patronising oaf.
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@mastodonmigration @hacks4pancakes My apologies, I didn't pick up that from the thread.
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Mastodon Migrationreplied to Christopher Baker last edited by
Blocking you. First you post an off topic reply. When that is pointed out to you, your response is an ad hominem attack. Really don't see any point in continuing any association.
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Mastodon Migrationreplied to StanceOfMind last edited by [email protected]
@ronaldtootall @hacks4pancakes
No problem. Recognize that it is not a very succinct thread. Thanks for the opportunity to restate the thesis.
