I’ve been asked on TV hits and interviews lately to explain why decentralized social media is better, especially re: Mastodon.

[user47@vmst.io]

@taylorlorenz tell them it’s just like bluesky, but all of their marketing lies are actually true here

[lukisko@fe.disroot.org]

@taylorlorenz
I would say that we can observe big US tech media. If there is anything which points to problems in the US governments, the government forces them to remove it. The same also applies to the individual companies which enforces their own censorship - "if CEO is not happy with it it may get removed" (or if there may a an issue with removing it directly, the suggestion algorithm will never pick it)

[shammusomuffihan@mastodon.social]

@taylorlorenz

My decision to switch was based on the motivations of the people running it. Commercial social media is motivated by commercial priorities. The point of the fediverse is connection for connection's sake.

[daedalouseros@hollow.raccoon.quest]

@taylorlorenz@mastodon.social the Fediverse is social media as it should have always been:

By the people, for the people, not by the corporation for the shareholders.

I might also say raw, personal interactions. On Fedi you interact with people, not algorithms designed to keep you doom scrolling.

[anatolegc@piaille.fr]

@Mastodon @taylorlorenz would you have some posters to promote Mastodon in my city?

[jjanhone@mementomori.social]

@taylorlorenz

Ok. An Instagram influencer was complaining about the awful comments she keeps getting and that make her want to stop. I told her it's partly because of the platform. Meta loves drama, it makes people to consume more time there. So they do not have reasons to stop bad behaviour.

On Mastodon people do not harrass others, at least on the Finnish bubble I'm in. If they would, they would be kicked out.

In Finnish school the kids that are being heavely bullied need to changed the school. Here it's the opposite. The bulliers need to find a new instance for themselves and that may be difficult.

[jwcph@helvede.net]

@taylorlorenz No ads. I think that's a highly convincing argument for many people & it's directly tied to decentralization: The fediverse is basically social media before algorithms & thanks to decentralization, if anyone wanted to add any kind of algorithmic reach functionality, everyone else would be free to ignore it - and without an algo, there's no business case for advertising in the 'verse.

[sam@break3.social]

@anatolegc@piaille.fr @Mastodon@mastodon.social @taylorlorenz@mastodon.social Posters and Flyers are a great idea to produce, this is something that I'm thinking of starting to create myself and start selling in the future.

Happy to chat about designs and see what we could come up with for certain cities and things

[bflipp@vmst.io]

@User47 @taylorlorenz

This could work.

But I feel like in a lot of ways people only view the internet as some mishmash of TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Netflix, and their banking app.

If you take away the algorithm shoving content down their throat they are TOTALLY LOST because they've literally never had to seek out things on their own that interest them on the internet before.

Those people are sadly never going to find a home on Mastodon as it currently operates. They physically don't have the pathways in their brain or a good enough understanding of what the internet is and how it works to "get" what Mastodon is offering.

[moshimotsu@floss.social]

@taylorlorenz It comes down to what social behaviors are rewarded. On centralized platforms, we’re seeing algorithm changes that push people you’ve never met, products you don’t need, and news you can’t do anything about over the actual people in your lives, because that keeps eyes on screens, and on ads, and that makes revenue. In a decentralized environment, individual communities without profit incentive just focus on building welcoming spaces, the true goal of social media

[nickshirling@mstdn.plus]

@taylorlorenz

Do you trust big tech controlled apps then let them divide into their respective camps

[glecharles@gardenstate.social]

@taylorlorenz Curious what finally won you over?

For me, it was an opportunity to reboot my relationship with social media in general, approaching it fresh, but having nearly 20 years of knowledge about all the ways it can go wrong.

I don't talk about decentralization. I just focus on my feed showing me only what I choose to follow, and enjoying the interesting people I've met here since 2022.

[anatolegc@piaille.fr]

@sam @Mastodon @taylorlorenz Glad I’m not the only one having this idea! I would be happy too to design such things, I love doing that
I’m personally from France so the posters would be in French but it should be adaptable to any language

[beaiouns@is.nota.live]

@taylorlorenz I like to think of it like an interconnected network of computers

[jeremiah@tldr.nettime.org]

@taylorlorenz You can meaningfully have a say in content moderation policies.

Reporting bad actors usually leads to a more pro-social outcome.

I think there are many but that feels important.

[phocks@bne.social]

@taylorlorenz Free edit button https://bne.social/@phocks/113852656164872270

[7sleepersmusic@mastodon.social]

@taylorlorenz For me it's simple: people are nicer, people are smarter. IDK why, maybe 'cuz there's no algorithm amplifying the most outrageous hot takes, and no billionaire owners shoving their agenda down our throats. IMHO "free expression" means different things to different people. You can spout Nazi garbage on Mastodon if you want, but you probably won't get a wide audience. But if you have a reasonable comment to contribute to a conversation, there's a good chance you'll get heard here.

[accordingtowouter@mastodon.world]

@taylorlorenz Because people here have to put energy into interacting with each other. And that makes us happy.

[serfdeweb@mastodon.world]

@taylorlorenz
What each user sees on the Fediverse is up to them. No billionaire can force their views into your feed, because your feed is opt-in. Likewise, they can't stop you from seeing what you want to see. If your instance blocks things you want to see, you can switch to another instance; there are many.

[benroyce@mastodon.social]

@taylorlorenz

don't appeal to high mindedness

sell it

- no ads

- choose a server that fits your style, no one-size-fits-all straightjacket

- zero privacy defilement

- immunity to some racist edgelord techbro coming in, buying the thing, and turning it into bigot and ignorance paradise