Notices by Jay Baker (mediaactivist@todon.eu), page 2

@ikeruga There's a saying popular in anarchist circles that you will probably be familiar with: "perfect is the enemy of good." Nobody suggested this is perfect, but I knew there'd be a reply like this because Mastodon is full of people who actually want to create something better all the time, are open to criticism and reflection, and are always quick to keep Mastodon cheerleading in check (sometimes to a fault)! However, that's an entirely separate argument (and one I've addressed at length on my website, and many times on here) and my points still stand, yes.

@Thad Haha subtle sarcasm?

I guess my point here is, it's not a "platform" when no one can hear you. I have half that number of followers here on Mastodon and yet I'm heard but - more important than that - I listen. I take in posts by people wiser than myself, and/or at least with different backgrounds and experiences to myself, who I learn so very much from. Mastodon (more specifically, Todon) makes that possible for me. It brings out the best.

Us "mere mortals," meanwhile, love this shit: I had over 3,000 followers on pre-Elon Musk Twitter, and by that point there was, well, no point: the ads and algorithms had long since pushed my tweets aside in favour of whatever normies had trending, and - in the absence of any decent code of conduct - the space was becoming unbearably bot-ridden at best and toxic at worst.

Repackaged Twitter (Bluesky) will suffer the same fate as original Twitter (X). Or possibly even worse. I'm not wrong. Feel free to save this toot, idgaf.

We never needed to waste time trying to reinvent the wheel. We had Mastodon. We had something right in front of us, all along, and too many of us decided to look away at the other options, either pretending we couldn't see this, or pretending we didn't understand this. But fundamentally, truly decentralised and de-commercialised social media will always be eclipsed by commercial interests until we - all of us - are prepared to make better choices based on better principles rather than herd mentality. I for one am not going back. Not to Twitter 1.0...or Twitter 2.0. That shit ain't it.

Seriously, though: Many of us told you so. Many of us told you when we joined Mastodon shortly after its launch, and we told you again as we quit Twitter after Elon Musk bought it. You went back then, so why would we believe you now? Because this time you're wholeheartedly endorsing Twitter 2.0: crypto-Bluesky? The cycle will just continue, and celebrity culture and ego will be our fucking ruin.

So it seems a heck of a lot of high-profile folks are suddenly deciding to leave Elon Musk's Nazi platform. Again. But hey don't worry, they really mean it this time! And Twitter 2.0, Bluesky, is so very special (the cryptobros said so!) and while its appeal is that it emulates Twitter 1.0, it is totally immune to the fate of Twitter 1.0. Right? And remember: that Mastodon stuff is confusing, and its lack of ads and algorithms make everyone seem more on an equal footing, with celebrity profiles treated as just another account. And who wants that, huh?

Our Best Option for Defending Ourselves From Trump’s Second Term Is Each Other https://truthout.org/articles/our-best-option-for-defending-ourselves-from-trumps-second-term-is-each-other/

Fascism Cannot Be Voted Away at the Ballot Box https://truthout.org/articles/fascism-cannot-be-voted-away-at-the-ballot-box/

"I sought safety in the UK. I was sent to prison instead." https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-trafficking-and-slavery/i-sought-safety-in-the-uk-i-was-sent-to-prison-instead-labelled-a-smuggler/

Demonstrators demand justice after Valencia floods https://freedomnews.org.uk/2024/11/11/demonstrators-demand-justice-after-valencia-floods/

Mozilla Foundation lays off 30% of its employees, ends advocacy for open web, privacy, and more https://www.osnews.com/story/141100/mozilla-foundation-lays-off-30-of-its-employees-ends-advocacy-for-open-web-privacy-and-more/

@fedizine I just love this project so much (and I've cited it so often), any revised versions would be very welcome, and/or output of content generally from this account as I very much value your perspective!

@KeithDJohnson I think it was closer to three quarters of the population who didn't vote for him.

Call for hate crime law reform, as broadcaster says young people too sick to work are ‘parasites’. Dr Jenny Ceolta-Smith, a disabled activist and adviser with the charity Long Covid Support, is one of those who has complained to Ofcom: https://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/call-for-hate-crime-law-reform-as-broadcaster-says-young-people-too-sick-to-work-are-parasites/

In Dearborn, Rashida Tlaib Did Nearly Twice as Well as Kamala Harris https://theintercept.com/2024/11/06/dearborn-michigan-rashida-tlaib-kamala-harris-gaza/

The Answer to Trump’s Victory Is Radical Action https://theintercept.com/2024/11/06/trump-harris-election-results-action/

According to numbers so far, it seems around 3/4 of the United States population didn't vote for Donald Trump. Not enough people seem to want to talk about that.

@kevin That's, what, less than a quarter of the population?