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@skuwamoto @RoyGBiv Thanks! I might not succeed at making decent comparisons because I was barely on Twitter and only years ago. But my impression is that there was a lot of drive on Twitter to get one’s message/brand out and pass clever one-liners around. The content was intended for a wide audience and the interaction was fast-paced. This place has been more like a neighborhood bar. You’ve got regulars and people who drop in, and you can float between conversations. The topics tend to be more intimate/personal; and even when they are political, the exchange is slow enough that it feels like a roundtable conversation.

In a way, that intimacy is kinda built into the ActivityPub protocol (which is what the Mastodon platform implements). There’s no algorithmic advantage to “likes”, and messages don’t travel to everyone instantly. They only travel through direct engagement. That can take time as people slowly discover each other and join in conversation threads that were started days, weeks, or months ago. Plus message size is generous. So, there is no need to be pithy. I choose to comment much more than I reshare because it gives me the chance to empathize and connect with the person posting. And, if you haven’t noticed, I’m not terse. So, the ability to wax on suits me. 😀

Mind you, this all may change. It’s not that the old way is the best or right way. But it’s what those of us who have been around awhile found to work. The newcomers will certainly influence and change the culture. So, once new folks have had a chance to grieve the old site and get their bearings here, who knows what this will all be like in a few months?