So.... apparently Threads is asking users after 30 days if they want to keep Fediverse on.
I hope this is simply an analytics thing that they're tracking to see how many users keep it on and not some sort of "hey...nudge nudge....you might wanna turn that off...." kinda thing....
I still have my doubts about Threads federation even though I am more positive about it than others. I really hope they don't make me defederate. That will make me sad.
Yep, we all know that despite his contributions to the feddiverse, which are good and valid, mark zuckerberg is still VERY SUS and his true motives are unclear 🤔
Yeah, that's personally the thing that bothers me the most. What makes it especially dangerous is that we need to somehow define what would be the "red line" after crossing which it would be safe to say that the meta is trying to EEE feddiverse.
@BeAware Dude’s delusional, that’s the same as my iPhone going “App XYZ has been using your location for whatever. Do you wish to allow it to continue?” <options>
it’s designed to make you think or second guess it.
The question is if they are going to do that, then why federate at all?
@ppb1701 Facts. After this interaction, I'm done advocating for them. I'll probably delete my account and defederate because this is arguing in completely bad faith.
@BeAware Yeah, it seems like they are doing it as a pr stunt mostly since a) most people won’t hit the toggle initially, b) by putting this scary prompt you’ll freak them out into toggling off, and c) by not giving an explanation that yes it is sending things out past Meta’s controlled environment….the fediverse is not some evil entity….many don’t even trust it.
@david Simon blackstein thinks it's totally normal to tell someone about all the bad things about something and none of the good things. That's a dark pattern, is it not? 🤦♂️planned obsolescence at the very least...
@AAKL@david either that, or SERIOUSLY bad PR....however. I did have some of these concerns quelled by the CEO of a completely different company. 🤦♂️
Mike McCue, CEO of Flipboard, had a talk with me yesterday about how it might be a data law issue. Like GDPR, there are a few different data laws around the world that companies have to deal with that are a legal nightmare.
Meta isn't operating Threads in the EU right now for this very reason, however, they are still operating in California which has CCPA. here's a link to that discussion. https://flipboard.social/@mike/112317517766956422
I'm still not dealing with Meta after their interaction because why didn't they just answer like Mike? Seems like a pretty simple, straight forward answer that I can understand completely.
@BeAware@david Bottom line is you can't trust a company that has a long record of wrongdoings that don't inspire trust. I am waiting for the other shoe to drop after their federation - and it will drop sooner or later.
@david@SomeAnoTooter@AAKL they don't have Fediverse on in Europe though so I'm pretty sure the only other law would be California and it shows up everywhere, not just California🤷♂️
There was a big discussion on Threads a day or two ago about these "30 Day Popup" warnings and the people who know say they're a legal requirement in Europe. They're just following the law in providing those access warnings.
@BeAware@AAKL@david Oh yes, that could be the less nefarious reason behind it, to create reasonable, legal deniability if some unlawful things get into their platforms. Don't see how that could make them look better so.
@AAKL@david@SomeAnoTooter I have about 30 followers there but I was only there to push Fediverse. My big issue was that they have been going "Fedi bad, we have to tell people Fedi bad because it's bad!" And saying nothing about the GOOD of it. It's liked planned obsolescence or something else that I don't have the specific term but it's not in good faith.
Everything I usually saw there that wasn't from direct searches I did, was from the For You feed which tbh, isn't that bad of an algorithm.
@david@BeAware@SomeAnoTooter It was launched as an alternative after Twitter went to hell. But what you just described looks a lot like Twitter. I wouldn't touch either with or without ads.
The 30 Day Pop Up isn't a big deal. Ads are coming to threads in a couple of months. Threads can be a good Twitter killer.
Reading threads and interacting there is dead -- I have no idea how some people have 130K followers.
One woman joked this morning that without the Bots, she'd have no followers. She was posting posed butt photos, and I wanted to ask if she mean "Bots" or "Butts!" but I didn't.
I don't think you can BUY Threads followers right now anyway.
@david@SomeAnoTooter@BeAware This is the difference between federation and a social platform owned by one person. And it's the reason why people come here. A few years ago, most people didn't even know Mastodon existed. That has changed and continues to change. There needs to be a middle way for Mastodon to grow further without throwing away the keys.
@david@SomeAnoTooter@BeAware It's not really the same thing because a lot of people come to Mastodon to escape those services. But if you don't mind the algorithms, then those are the services you want.
The problem is how will Mastodon catch the hive mind and grow? They want that and they need that but the disbursement of ideas across thousands of servers hurts that coalition, especially with politically active server admins.
If you need to verify your identity -- for say, getting access to an Artist account -- you have to use one of the major social media companies. Mastodon isn't even an option. That was a hard, stinging, reality for me to accept last week.
After 18 months of being exclusively on Mastodon; I was sort of forced back into the mainstream social media platforms because of my music distribution. I've turned on all the old sites again and the interaction there: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Threads (new!), Instagram, TikTok just slaughter any sort of interactive community in the Fediverse. There's a reason those social media services are hard to kill -- they work! That's where the people are!
@SomeAnoTooter@BeAware@david Yes, but there are a lot of reasons why people like open source, especially when it's not tied to a dominant commercial player. Wouldn't adoption suffer if there was a trust issue?
You're trying to sell stuff. Nothing wrong with that, it's not a criticism.
Have your sales gone up for your effort?
(Yes: Great! The people on there buying your stuff is good, and I sincerely congratulate you because, yes.
No: well, that's awkward.)
I'm not selling anything. I share ideas and learn from others. I have thousands of followers on other networks, I have few here. I prefer it here because less people are trying to sell me stuff.
@david@BeAware@SomeAnoTooter By mainstream mind, you are referring to algorithms, which will get you more followers and stuff you want and don't want. There are no algorithms here. Some people like it, some don't. If you're looking for viral trends, this is not the place. If you're looking for conversation and a level of user agency, this is a good place. I don't think there is a perfect catch-all platform.
I understand. It all depends on features and wants and needs. If you have any desire to find the mainstream mind, you won't find it on Mastodon. That doesn't mean smart or stupid -- it only means people who are on social media are settled, and of a certain age, they know what they like, and getting them to move takes more than the Mastodon ideal that we are are seeking here together. They want frictionless friends and predictability. Mastodon does not offer that.
@david@AAKL@SomeAnoTooter it's my direct interaction with the Threads employee completely dismissing the issue instead of doing what Mike did, that made me leave. If he had simply said it's a legal issue, I might not have even left. He was a complete and total dick on the issue.
Threads is shouting into the abyss. It's sad, really. Unless, of course, you're one of the cool kids who works for Threads. Then people won't leave you alone!
For me, it's more about accountability. People should be who they are, and own what they say online -- wherever that might be. A lot of the mainstream social services offer/require ID in order to take full advantage of their services.
Plus, I worked on my Facebook Page for years. Got it verified the old fashioned way -- I earned it! (Ha! John Houseman) -- and now that my page is turned on again a flood of all the old people like me are electrified!
@david@AAKL@SomeAnoTooter@BeAware If you don't like how your mastodon admin manages the system, then you can always switch to a different mastodon service operated by a better admin. (There's a simple "click to move" button.) Or you can run your own and be your own admin.
In contrast, if you don't like the TikTok admin (and their ties to China's government), well, suck it up. And if you want to use Twitter/X, then you must accept Musk and his spontaneous mood swings.
You have to start all over again when you change Mastodon servers. Your previous messages don't travel with you and they never will. Few people know that when they sign up. That's a problem!
@david@hackerfactor@SomeAnoTooter@BeAware You can migrate your account and follows, but it's a hassle. And to be honest, it's why I haven't migrated from this server, which has recurring tech issues, even as we speak.
@david@hackerfactor@SomeAnoTooter@BeAware The bottom line, which I realized when I moved here, is that adopting Mastodon requires a mental shift from the old commercial mindset. Some people haven't been able or have been unwilling to do that because it cost them their audience. Everything is give and take. It depends on what you are more comfortable with.