Meanwhile... my current take on #socialmedia / #media
Twitter on Fire (lies, #Muskvirus etc.. and holding fire sale' today!) ..."to help pay the rent" (Bloomberg)
#1, #Twitter is in flames (literally having a "fire sale" today) but in terms of tone, crowded exits, and big debates among "regulars" about the morality/business sense of staying with a platform actively courting #racism, #misogyny & promoting #GQP/ #TrumpVirus
fueled hate and #conspiracy . As its owner has fun with his toy, indifferent to appearances or even a cash drain. (He has lots more)
#2 - "Other"
Mastodon- We are now seeing a very active & vibrant #Mastodon and related Federation sites, including some instances (pods) set up by news organizations. At first there was limited 'fresh content' and some were just Twitter mirrors, "in case" Twitter implodes. &/or to test the waters. In the first weeks of this year, it's gotten to the point where one can choose from various feeds (local, Fediverse etc) and see it regularly updating. A wide variety of talents being offered (George Takei memes, researchers' findings, a huge #Caturday showing ("CatsOfMastodon"), some diplomats. many journalists (as individuals. off the company site), lots of music, photos, art....
So, given its huge growth, constant improvements, and generally very good "vibe" reflecting the pleasant community... it works!
That said, it's not the mythical (wished for) "Twitter replacement:. On some levels, it is - an interesting mixture of ordinary people and public or entertainment figures (small now but growing), and a friendliness typical of pioneers settling a newly found, hospitable place.
But it is not Twitter's identical twin - it's ad free and not algorithm-driven. I've yet to see a single trolling or spam, though my time has been limited and mostly focused on the feature set and finding news/information sources. The cats, photos & music are icing on the cake for me, and may be core value for many. It's not as long-form or 'conversational' as 'here', but OTOH there are new acquaintances and resources awaiting 'out there' in large number, for those who want to immerse. Note that you can easily repost, tags work very well (and you can follow them) and the interface allows for seeing/liking//contacting content on other instances, so if you're on a small one, you can connect via a search and connect, and that pod becomes connected. If you're on a huge pod, same, people can find you. Anyway, it's viable. One disappointment/debate for some - users cannot "quote tweet" easily. OTOH, it's as easy as on FB or MeWe to post articles, music vids, etc, by just typing the url. No editor necessary. But not as much formatting options as "here" (image insertion, e.g.). But then, most of the new users are coming from Twitter, not escaping from 'here'. Here is fine! (Comfy/friendly)
Post.news
I'm sad to break the news but this is definitely not "the next Twitter"! It's just come out of Beta and wait-list only and people can join. (See for yourself! I'd love to hear your findings/experience). Briefly, it has lovely formatting, a dream for bloggers, with a fill-in slug for "title" and easy description or text, plus thumbnail/photo. It looks professional and many of the early adopters are journalists, novelist, etc. For them, it may be nice, but as a publicists' destination more than "social media". It is difficult to 'share/repost' without adding a story, and active moderation prevents instant posting or posting at all (for me, about 1/3 of the time). Function-wise, mostly now I cannot 'like' or even post (was I bad?) as in trying, I click on the star, it increases one number, then goes back. I took time to carefully compose a post and tapped the "publish" button 100 times, nothing happening.... So much for the 'experience'.
One more general experience: the feed looks polished, and long posts will have a "read" button to continue. But also, many articles require points to read. Some orgs are 'charging' tokens for nearly everything, some are lighter (learning/economics curve?). Most personal posts, except some "influencers" trying to grow big audiences, also are charging points. Users have been getting 50 points to use for purchasing reads or for "tips". (Don't ask? Tough to explain). Sort of like "Brave" browser sharing points for seeing ads.
Again, I can see potential as an auxiliary publicity method for authors, publicists, journalists, and news orgs. But "social"? Not so much, to tell #truth. Some comments, yes, but the whole thing seems super clunky to actually use. I've gotten some followers and likes, have yet to get a single notice via the 'bell'. And as I said, recently I seem almost to be blocked from posting or liking.
🤷♂️
Now I did connect with a few journalists and social scientists I might not have on Twitter, interesting, solid experts and talented writers. But then that's it. I can follow my connections or "explore" (Ack! Shades of Twitter now turning TikTok blended with Fox!)
Redeeming features? It looks pretty. It has an intuitive 'form' (rather than editor) which for example instantly turns a word bracketed by asterisks (* .. ) into *italicized font, but like Mastodon, no way to insert images, that I've found. (Maybe a url to an image?)
And now there are posts I've seen decrying the new policies/features of Post which are seen as limiting, many expressing sadness that "Post will never be 'the next Twitter'". I concur, but had to check it out, and did so.
Have I forgotten anything? Well, #facebook is the same as ever, stealing/re-selling user data as its model and dictating what people "like". Of course the worst aspects get borrowed now by Musk, who steals from TikTok too. And #MeWe is the same, apparently thriving and a comfy spot for Facebook-like posting of selfies and music vids, no editors (but can edit), but definitely of no value to many Twitter users (the huge group currently in flux) if public posts are the goal. (It is, despite its initial claims, still a walled garden.) Some of the many Twitter users who actually do interact, and enjoy that aspect, may be seen 'here' or on MeWe, just as the Google+ crowd dispersed across options when Google lost its "Don't be evil" motto and changed it seemingly to #GoogleIsEvil
Speaking of, I know there is a whole slice of Internet (Not the #Truth network, #Fox, NewsMax, Rumble, Gutter, etc.) considered "social media" too, but the hate, delusions and division seem so central to that realm I'm not sure it there is not one big social media #cult . With its large presence across people's online bubbles. Mm, profits!
Well, "different strokes for different folks". Google+ was 'the best' in its day and way, as was Twitter.
~~
So, my take as of 18 Jan 2023
Twitter is flaming out, some holding on, some encouraging rapid exit, many hedging bets, others not wanting to be associated now, with conspiracy-spreading, anti-vax anti- #truth and anti-social elements. (Suddenly I'm getting followers - not ones I'd want!)
Mastodon has exploded in users, and handled it well. It has many beloved features, diverse users (both celebs/orgs and everyday people), and everything from #Caturday to fine art (photos/drawing/digital) to cartoons and political memes. (Without trolling and with options to mask images which might be deemed 'sensitive', plus captions). One can also chat, like, forward (though not "quote tweet", re-sending with comment or title for example). Features may evolve as they actively hire and follow through on enhancements which users want. It's not clear who/how/if corporate entities will benefit (as opposed to say, Twitter), but big instances like the original one ask for support via Patreon or local server hosts. No direct advertising in the feed.
Post - "pretty". Some good content and impressive posters, many literary & journalistic professionals.
Interface is either a gem or G-d-awful depending on one's comfort zone and/or goal. Not possible to post "live" now in many cases, and difficult to simply re-share something (or in my case for a few days, to even "like" a Post post. Has for-token reads and "tips".
All a bit thorny amid the roses IMM. Agreeing with some of its fans here: As it looks now, definitely NOT "the next Twitter".
Nothing is. Maybe that's good. Or not. Centralized town square vs. Federated Town Squares.... "We'll see what happens."
And meanwhile, @ diaspora * "here" - all is well. (Well, most!)
Other than the stagnant feature set that long-time users accept and/or deal with and/or embrace - no big mass-exodus to or from "here". Still can enjoy what we enjoy, be it cats, politics, photography, wordplay, whatever...
So I say again to 'my regular circles [aspects here] - I'm not leaving, see no reason, but as a social scientist and long-time user of (mostly) social media, I feel the need to follow a huge sea-change as it's happening, now fueled by Twitter rather than Google+.
I see and feel the anxiety, anger, confusion among so many on Planet Twitter now looking at a safe home for when it hits the fan...
