Notices by Chris Trottier (atomicpoet@calckey.social)

@kainoa @gnusocialjp@gnusocial.jp Very cool! Thanks for the mention! @reiver@mastodon.social

I just had a look at #Meta's recent press release about #Threads, and something caught my attention right away.

For the very first time, they're acknowledging another #Fediverse platform alongside #Mastodon. Specifically, they're highlighting that #WordPress can now connect through #ActivityPub.

Now, you know Meta's PR department doesn't say things by accident. So here's why this is a big deal. Last time I checked, WordPress powers a whopping 43% of the Internet. Yeah, you heard that right! If you visit a website, there's a good chance it's using WordPress as its CMS.

Now, if even a fraction of those WordPress sites start federating, it could have a huge impact on the network effect of the Fediverse. Of course, Meta isn't oblivious to this. I've been talking about the potential of WordPress and ActivityPub for quite some time now.

But if you're particularly observant, you might also notice that they mention #Tumblr. We've known for a while that Tumblr is likely to integrate ActivityPub into their platform.

But here's an interesting tidbit: Did you know that one company, Automattic, not only owns Tumblr but is also the driving force behind WordPress?

I don't want to jump to conclusions, but once again, PR departments don't just drop hints randomly. I have a strong feeling that Meta has been having some high-level discussions with Automattic about the future of ActivityPub. It wouldn't surprise me if Meta has some insights into Automattic's upcoming plans for the Fediverse.

https://about.fb.com/news/2023/07/introducing-threads-new-app-text-sharing/

@fediversenews@venera.social

There’s already backlash against #Threads on #Bluesky.

They’re not happy about it. The oxygen has just been sucked out of the room.

I understand where they’re coming from. They thought AT protocol was going to catapult over #ActivityPub. And now Threads has chosen ActivityPub.

How things change in the space of three months.

@fediversenews@venera.social

@ekana@mastodon.social I've legitimately tried to use Bluesky more often, but I just can't find anything worth reading and the algorithms aren't helping me. Mind you, I prefer reverse chron over everything else.

Hey, check out @gruber@mastodon.social and his latest hot take! It's no surprise that he's sharing his usual opinion.

On the one hand, @gruber@mastodon.social strongly dislikes Meta and even compares them to a criminal organization. But on the other hand, when Meta actually faces regulations, he reacts like a little kid whose favorite toy got taken away.

By the way, I personally think the only reason #Threads would consider adding #ActivityPub integration is because they're feeling pressure from EU regulations.

RE: https://mastodon.social/users/gruber/statuses/110667962169426329

#Calckey recently reached 10,000 accounts. To be precise, it now has 10,741 accounts.

This is all the more remarkable considering that the flagship server, calckey.social, is currently invite-only.

Federation with #Meta actually hurts Meta.

It is an existential threat to the very core of Meta's social media monopoly. Surprisingly, if the goal is to fight against Meta's hegemony, the most effective strategy may be to federate with them.

"But Chris," some of you might state, "Even you agree that it might be better to defederate Meta -- and you've even set up notmeta.social for expressly this purpose."

Yes, because it's not everyone's objective to fight Meta, and there should be spaces where fighting Meta isn't top of mind. Not everyone wants to be part and parcel of a fight, and that's okay.

Let's first acknowledge the technology through which federation happens. #ActivityPub is an open standard protocol that enables the decentralized social networking that powers the Fediverse. It allows different social media platforms (#Mastodon, #Calckey, #Kbin, etc.) to interoperate, meaning that users on one platform can communicate with users on another platform. Federation is the process by which these platforms connect and share content, forming a decentralized network.

The most important thing to understand about ActivityPub is that, more than a technology to merely send and receive messages, it's also a common ruleset -- a gentleman's agreement that everyone will play nice when sending and receiving messages.

Now when Meta opts to use ActivityPub, they're abiding by the agreement: to play by the same rules as everybody else. Should they renege on this agreement, they are no longer using ActivityPub. They're using something else.

But let's assume for a moment that Meta is abiding to use ActivityPub, and they indeed will play by the same rules. Knowing Meta, this is a tall order -- but still, let's assume.

ActivityPub means that whatever of Meta's userbase that's exposed to federation will diversify into other platforms. This is because, through ActivityPub, smaller platforms can connect with each other and offer a combined user base that competes with Meta's centralized network. This diversification reduces the dependence of users on a single platform, giving them more choices and potentially drawing them away from Meta.

This creates an erosion of Meta's network effects. Meta's entire monopoly is based on ownership of their platforms' network effects, where the value of the platform increases as more users join. Suddenly, by federating, Meta no longer own the network effect. This is because federation challenges this by breaking down barriers between platforms, allowing users to interact regardless of the platform they are on. This reduces the exclusivity and advantage Meta holds, as the network effects become distributed across multiple interconnected platforms.

Federation also gives Meta's users power that they never previously had. Federation promotes decentralization by giving users greater control over their data and interactions. With ActivityPub, users have the freedom to choose which platform they prefer without sacrificing connectivity. This user empowerment threatens Meta's control over user data and engagement, potentially leading to a loss of influence and advertising revenue.

ActivityPub poses a tangible threat to Meta's monopoly on social media. By choosing to federate, Meta might be opening Pandora's box. The moment Meta's users receive a message from a server not owned by Meta is the moment they're exposed to something else beyond Meta's control. Inevitably, this will create more diversity of ActivityPub-enabled platforms -- not less. This will erode Meta's network effects. For people who use Meta, the power of decentralization -- giving them more freedom -- will prove revelatory.

Of course, this is a fight. And just because Meta federates doesn't mean it's game over. In the next post, I will explore what Meta is hoping to gain by joining the #Fediverse.

ActivityPub, which is like the "language" that makes the Fediverse work, doesn't have special rules to keep things private. It's more focused on helping different parts of the Fediverse talk to each other. ActivityPub doesn't have special rules to keep your messages private, so we need to be careful about what we share and who can hear us.

Imagine you have a sandcastle on the beach, and you want to keep it just for yourself and your friends. But sometimes, there are sneaky seagulls that come along and try to take your sandcastle when you're not looking. Even if you build a strong wall around your sandcastle (like ActivityPub), these sneaky seagulls (called scrapers) can still fly over the wall and take your sandcastle away. So, it's important to be careful with what you share, even if there are walls to protect your things.

And defederation doesn’t necessarily make your posts private either. You might think because you built another wall for your sandcastle that it will be safe. But sneaky seagulls can still fly over to your wall and see your sandcastle, even if you’ve created a barrier to entry (defederation) that you believe keeps them away.

So, just building a wall doesn't always keep your sandcastle (or your privacy) completely safe from the seagulls (or people who want to see your things). They have wings. They can fly over it.

As it should be apparent by now, ActivityPub or defederation is not a suitable “wall” that safeguards privacy. And that was never its intent.

Just because you perceive something will keep you safe from voyeuristic entities doesn’t mean it will.

@lufthans@mastodon.social Yes.

My 10-year-old daughter got a hold of my laptop and this is what she wrote.

I’m printing this out and keeping it forever.

RE: https://atomicpoet.org/objects/150315cb-f1ac-4d4f-aba9-68beff7faf89

@jonahbk@mstdn.science That’s great. For many people, deleting their account and starting fresh is not feasible.

@ansible@mastodon.online There was Ian Curtis. But that didn’t end well.

@wilbr@glitch.social I have separated that out with atomicpoet.org. It was made specifically so I can talk about other stuff. But that’s also become a different kettle of fish.

One reason I largely avoided the label “autistic” is because, when I grew up, autism carried a lot of stigma. It was not that much different from the “R” word for those who are mentally handicapped.

Even now it carries stigma, though less than before.

What’s the excuse of some parents who don’t want to vaccinate their children? They believe it will make them autistic.

@piusbird@tilde.zone Yeah, something I realized long ago is that people are influenced largely by narratives. If a narrative has taken hold, there’s little you can do to change that. In fact, if you share facts that counter the narrative, they will often double down.

Most people are genuinely surprised to discover I’m autistic. Believe me, I was surprised when I found out.

Now certain people in the autistic community have known before I knew, but I laughed it off because I thought they were being presumptuous.

But I’ve never behaved normally, and I’ve always done things considered “weird”.

For example, I am known to spontaneously break out into laughter. People stare it me wondering what’s gotten into me, but usually it’s because I thought about something so hilarious, and had to break out into audible giggles.

When I was a teenager, I would sit on overpasses for all day and watch traffic just passing by—with a laser focus.

My wife has always complained that when she talks to me, I drift off and seem to enter another world.

The moment I realized I was indeed autistic was when teachers called me into school to tell me they thought my daughter was autistic. I was confused because she seemed just like me.

It then that I realized in order to help my daughter, I had to re-assess myself.

RE: https://calckey.social/notes/9ggwstawb9nqfm4n

@simsa03@gnusocial.jp No, I am autistic. I found out when my daughter was diagnosed, and I was surprised because my daughter’s behaviour mirrors my own.

I live a very regimented life according to a very particular schedule and I get annoyed when I’m taken out of that routine.

I have intense special interests that I’m laser focused upon to the point it becomes my life.

I have always stimmed, and still stim, to the point it becomes a distraction to others.

People think I’m personal, empathetic, and good at communication but these are all learned skills and do not come naturally.

Many people on the spectrum know I’m on the spectrum, even though denied being on the spectrum because I didn’t want to think about myself in those terms.

Autistic people are not uniform and they don’t always act according to a template.

@mike@macgirvin.com You did too, and I’ve given you credit.

Maybe it’s due to being autistic but I have no idea how others perceive me.

For three years of my life on the Fediverse, I pretty much just talked to myself and was content with that. I would say whatever and it wouldn’t matter because nobody was reading anything anyway.

When someone responded to one of my posts, it was usually spam. When it was actually someone real talking to me, it was like speaking to a unicorn.

Then one day, people started talking back. And what’s more they gave a damn about my opinions. For what reason, I don’t know. They just did.

Because some people talked to me, more people started talking to me. And everything started carrying more weight.

The moment I realized that I crossed the precipice of influence was when, one day, I typed some Unicode into a post.

This got lots of accessibility advocates angry. They were specifically angry because I was deemed an “influential” account. So I cut it out and haven’t posted any Unicode that way ever since.

Because of this, I have become more and more careful about what I post on this account. For example, I used to talk about my personal life. Things that I thought were innocuous upset people. One particular time, I said that my daughter and I listen to vinyl every day. That post got lots of blowback, and so I’ve stopped sharing stuff like that.

Sometimes people assign motivations where there is none. Recently, people have suddenly assumed I have something against #FediPact. This is not the case, and though I have not joined FediPact, I sympathize—and have even set up notmeta.social as a #Calckey server that pre-emptively defederates Meta.

Constantly, I get messages asking if I have something against this person or that service. And almost always, it’s never. If you think I do, talk to me directly, and I’m happy to iron out any misunderstandings.

In my actual life, I do my best to avoid conflict—to the point it annoys people. If I genuinely don’t like someone, I don’t argue with them. I make it impossible for them to contact me.

If you can contact me, it means that I probably like you.