shoq

shoq, 35 minutes ago to random

I’ve now had 3 conversations about the nature of “trust” in the last 2 days. Lots of people think about it. But I still haven’t heard of a credible way society might restore much of it to journalism, broadcasting, government, and public interest missions and agendas of all kinds. I don’t think it’s impossible, but I do think it will be a fairly elite pursuit of a very small group of people for a very long time.

shoq, 1 hour ago to random

This election should not be close. The Right has spent 50 yrs pushing a myth of a “liberal media,” when they’ve owned or controlled most presses for decades. We’re paying the price for our negligence in allowing that to happen. How do we fix systemic disorders of this scale?

shoq, 1 hour ago to random

Yes, a popular take on the fediverse. But I’d argue that it’s more what NPR should have been. Like PBS, it’s an institution created in a public interest era that we took for granted, and which hasn’t had a new idea (or much support) since the ’70s.

Such institutions came about because a collective spirit nurtured or amplified public service in all forms. We’ve allowed an extreme-right worldview to poison most of that spirit.

They hate the Enlightenment and everything in it.

shoq, 2 hours ago to random

Good morning. And despite the Republican clown show epidemic, I really mean that. (You need to trust more.)

shoq, 17 hours ago to random

It’s quite exciting when all this shit works. It still astounds me that we can’t make the rest of the world see the value of Indieweb.

In reply to…
https://mastodon.social/@fractals/112459032003836705

shoq, 21 hours ago to random

@film_girl @manton @jean Christina is talking about the complexity level of starting blogs (or any web service), just in time for my 4 o’clock where we’re discussing exactly that with a hosting company. Thanks! ::back to taking notes :::

shoq, 22 hours ago to random

Bo Burnham is the latest [white] musician asking (by video) why he should vote for Joe Biden?

Are these kids all that stupid? It’s not about who we “prefer.” It’s about the FUCKING ALTERNATIVE? It’s just NOT complicated.

They need to put down their phones, read a newspaper (if they can find one), and figure it out. While they still can.

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shoq, 22 hours ago to random

I think everyone has to remember that that tech-press was a big contributor to the mess that became social media. Their priorites are not the same as ours, and their observations and conclusions can take years to be exposed as completely billionaire fluffing horseshit. I respect a lot of tech writers, but others should be trusted about as much as ChatGPT. Which is to say, not much.

shoq, 23 hours ago to random

@rticks And spoil all the fun when young people get skinned and turned into lampshades? Why would I want to do that? Anyone who thinks any one single issue matters more than halting this encroaching Trump-led fascism is either grossly uninformed, or not a rational actor. Complexity demands compromise. Those who don’t get that will always get fucked, and take the rest of us with them to the event.

In reply to…
https://mastodon.social/@rticks/112457650525415936

shoq, 23 hours ago to random

I see too many conversations about what can go right, but too few discussions of what can go wrong. Same as it ever was.

film_girl, 1 day ago to random

Today is the day! #microcamp kicks off later today and I'll be having a convo with @manton and @jean at 12:00pm PT! https://micro.camp/

shoq, 1 day ago to random

Dear Gen-Z:

Hitler was elected with 33% of the vote and he was quick to put your age group to work. You can’t sit out this election. Not if you want any chance of a decent life. Yes, a lot sucks now, but it can suck a whole lot worse if Trump and his many snakes slither back into power.

shoq, 1 day ago to random

House mean girl no.1, Marjorie Taylor Greene goes all racist insult on Rep. Jasmine Crockett during GOP kangaroo committee hearing on Garland’s phony “contempt” charge. @AoC unloads on her.

These monsters will continue degrading our govt until we rise-up and say “No mas.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTYV8BZiGFQ&t=3s

shoq, 1 day ago to random

His wizards finally found the config file. Who still says he can’t get us to Mars? (Getting back is a different matter.)

Elon Musk’s X completes rebranding, shifts Twitter url to X.com

https://www.moneycontrol.com/technology/elon-musks-x-completes-rebranding-shifts-twitter-url-to-x-com-article-12724756.html

shoq, 1 day ago to random

Good morning, social web. I see we have a new reason to loathe Marjorie Taylor Greene. She’s the grift that keeps on grifting.

shoq, 1 day ago to random

Threads knew exactly what it was doing when it came out with its fediverse pitch. And those fearing it were as right to fear it, as they were wrong to bother opposing the inevitable. It’s already leveraged millions of users to promote itself. It can take its sweet time addressing the concerns of a tiny subset of their now enormous user base. I do think they will evolve the fediverse. But at their own pace and by their own rules. It won’t be particularly bold.

shoq, 1 day ago to random

Some of the happiest people I have known on social media are makers, or anyone with a passion, who manages to find a small community to share it with. It just seems axiomatic that people are generally more civil and interesting when motivated by something other than politics and prattle mongering. I have always shared the vision of many that the Fediverse could provide a creative culture infrastructure. Enough of that could eventually impact our political culture too.

shoq, 1 day ago to random

Tomorrow I am proposing another idea to a hosting partner. Fediverse @account as “lifeboat.” Something every social media user, on any network, “needs” to have, “just in case” the next Muskpocalyse throws them on their asses again. Details to come.

shoq, 1 day ago to random

I’ve always believed a global social media garbage can was inevitable. It could have been Twitter. Now it’s likely to be Threads. Because billionaires gonna billionaire.

But the garbage can give rise to new kinds of filters that compartmentalize our needs so we can interact within scaleable, affordable, well-moderated clusters of engagement that can be promoted and discovered on the larger public web. Threads can feed that. But it will never be that.

shoq, 1 day ago to random

Another metaphor that might be useful here is small town America, that grew rich and prosperous when the highway came to town. With traffic comes the need for instrastructure for all the governing that has to go on to support the town the new transit system created. Threads won’t be doing any of that. Ever. But it’s a natural mission statement for a decentralized network like ActivityPub and ATProto combined. They can be bridged, and each can focus on the missions they are good at.