Recently I read a post by some jackhole techbro who wants a default automatic feed algorithm here just like Big Social™.
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@DazRunner @lisamelton I'm not actually sure what point you are making when you say "I want the community to be my algorithm." You can choose who to follow for your personal feed, and in addition Trending will show you the more popular posts, and Live Feeds gives you the options of seeing your server's posts, or posts on other servers.
Thanks, Hollie. I'm a noob so i'll learn as i go.

There's a dichotomy here IMO. Part of being in a community means you surrender some control and allow that community to make some decisions on your behalf. For the greater good.
Segmenting users into filter bubbles algorithmically on SM has had a negative impact on society. And is a tool of manipulation.
How about a feed filter though? Eg. Only show posts on my feed that have received some engagement etc.
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@lisamelton but we do have an automatic default feed algorithm!
That the default automatic feed algorithm is "posts of accounts you follow in chronological order" is beside the point, it's still an algorithm, it's still the default, and it's still automatic.
@pmb00cs @lisamelton It's a bit pedantic but I wanted to make the same point. I know people are afraid of slippery slopes but algorithms aren't inherently evil. Presumably the current algorithm also ranks posts that were reported a number of times lower than others? If not, I'd say that would be quite a sensible use of the technology.
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@Atoro @lisamelton @hypebot ... but can it only do this by violating the 'trust' of the users who don't want their posts used for such things?
I should be clear that I am /not/ one of those users, but I know they exist.
@mikebabcock @lisamelton @hypebot if someone doesn’t want their toots processed by that bot, they can use the #nobot hashtag in their profile. Or just block the user. I find that acceptable. Maybe their should be a native mastodon privacy setting for bot control, but as long as that doesn’t exist, I am personally fine with that.
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Thanks, Hollie. I'm a noob so i'll learn as i go.

There's a dichotomy here IMO. Part of being in a community means you surrender some control and allow that community to make some decisions on your behalf. For the greater good.
Segmenting users into filter bubbles algorithmically on SM has had a negative impact on society. And is a tool of manipulation.
How about a feed filter though? Eg. Only show posts on my feed that have received some engagement etc.
@DazRunner @lisamelton The feed filter that you are describing is the Trending feed, and you can visit that at any time.
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Recently I read a post by some jackhole techbro who wants a default automatic feed algorithm here just like Big Social
.Opening the door for AI bullshit is not even the worst part of this idea.
Folks, all of us here ARE the algorithm. Personal curation is a feature, not a bug.
We make Mastodon awesome by following people and boosting what we find meaningful, significant or just cool. That's how it works.
Let's keep making friends. Let's keep sharing. Let's keep Mastodon alive. Together.

@lisamelton
Amen, sister, Amen. -
@pmb00cs @lisamelton It's a bit pedantic but I wanted to make the same point. I know people are afraid of slippery slopes but algorithms aren't inherently evil. Presumably the current algorithm also ranks posts that were reported a number of times lower than others? If not, I'd say that would be quite a sensible use of the technology.
@TimothyRoes @lisamelton I would like to point out that when I joined Facebook that was the default feed algorithm, when I joined Twitter that was the default feed algorithm. Now them changing that default wasn't why I left those platforms, but it certainly didn't help.
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hi david, thanks.
I think my misunderstanding stemmed from the fact that, i'm following a popular hashtag with numerous low quality posts. All of which are appearing on my feed. I'm also getting same entity posts
I realise there's a beauty behind a manually selected feed. Many Social Networks will use a hybrid model of a personalised selection and algorithmic filtering.
Noone wants #mastodon to become another Facebook. Let's respect (and learn from) our foe?
I think my misunderstanding stemmed from the fact that, i'm following a popular hashtag with numerous low quality posts.
One of the things I don't like about Mastodon is that following is completely binary. You either see everything or nothing. I'd like to be able to say something like 'show me the posts in this hash tag with more than N favourites' or 'show me a random selection of 10% of what this person posts, weighted by boost + favourite count'.
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@ahltorp @FallsMom @lisamelton Why not just stop following overly prolific people?
@JankaWessman @FallsMom @lisamelton Because you like what they write? Or you like some of it? Or specifically don’t like or don’t care about some of it? Or it might not be one prolific person, but the combined effect of many.
A lot of people here use filters and other selective mutes. Can’t we help people do that, or do we as a collective think that’s only for ”advanced users”?
Maybe there is no good way of doing this, but other than the effort, what is lost by trying?
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@AFoucart @lisamelton there's also the "Notify me when USER posts" button which is useful to keep track of low volume users posts.
@jmcs @lisamelton yes, but "more notifications" is not really something I want on my phone
I'd rather choose when I check for updates! -
@TimothyRoes @lisamelton I would like to point out that when I joined Facebook that was the default feed algorithm, when I joined Twitter that was the default feed algorithm. Now them changing that default wasn't why I left those platforms, but it certainly didn't help.
@pmb00cs @lisamelton Agreed, but I think the best guarantee is that this platform is not driven by profit and is built on an open protocol so people who don't like where things are going can vote with their feet. All that said Lisa's main point was that we should promote toots by boosting and reacting to them and that I totally agree with
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Recently I read a post by some jackhole techbro who wants a default automatic feed algorithm here just like Big Social
.Opening the door for AI bullshit is not even the worst part of this idea.
Folks, all of us here ARE the algorithm. Personal curation is a feature, not a bug.
We make Mastodon awesome by following people and boosting what we find meaningful, significant or just cool. That's how it works.
Let's keep making friends. Let's keep sharing. Let's keep Mastodon alive. Together.

@lisamelton I think that should be explained at the beginning of the adventure with Mastodon, because now it makes sense what's the purpose of boosting. The users being "the algorithm" makes a ton of sense, but coming from corporate SM I didn't know that model so I didn't boost anything.
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Recently I read a post by some jackhole techbro who wants a default automatic feed algorithm here just like Big Social
.Opening the door for AI bullshit is not even the worst part of this idea.
Folks, all of us here ARE the algorithm. Personal curation is a feature, not a bug.
We make Mastodon awesome by following people and boosting what we find meaningful, significant or just cool. That's how it works.
Let's keep making friends. Let's keep sharing. Let's keep Mastodon alive. Together.

@lisamelton
really? Bringing machine algorithm to mastodon? I think it's outright impossible, and my words are the same as yours! -
Yes! And how did I see this post? A boost from a friend (yay!), not from an algorithm !
@FallsMom @lisamelton i saw this post on trending tab. So it's technically an algorithm?

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@lisamelton you're right!
It's not true that "the Fediverse has no algorithm"
The algorithm is just easy to miss because it's implemented not through machines but through ourselves and other people
@badrihippo@fosstodon.org @lisamelton@mastodon.social
Exactly. The people you follow and the people you share an instance with are your algorithm. Which is why it's so important for your over-all experience to choose your instance wisely. Small to medium sized instances that cater to people with a significant overlap with your own interests are generally best. -
Recently I read a post by some jackhole techbro who wants a default automatic feed algorithm here just like Big Social
.Opening the door for AI bullshit is not even the worst part of this idea.
Folks, all of us here ARE the algorithm. Personal curation is a feature, not a bug.
We make Mastodon awesome by following people and boosting what we find meaningful, significant or just cool. That's how it works.
Let's keep making friends. Let's keep sharing. Let's keep Mastodon alive. Together.

@lisamelton Isn't that what bsky is for? 🤨
(rhetorical)
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Recently I read a post by some jackhole techbro who wants a default automatic feed algorithm here just like Big Social
.Opening the door for AI bullshit is not even the worst part of this idea.
Folks, all of us here ARE the algorithm. Personal curation is a feature, not a bug.
We make Mastodon awesome by following people and boosting what we find meaningful, significant or just cool. That's how it works.
Let's keep making friends. Let's keep sharing. Let's keep Mastodon alive. Together.

@lisamelton@mastodon.social
Sounds like that person hasn't realized an important fact of the Fediverse yet: the importance of choosing The Right Instance. Ideally, you should be on an instance that isn't overwhelmingly active, catering to people who you have some overlap of shared interest with.
Huuuuuge instances like mastodon.social almost never fit that bill. They're so overwhelming that the local and global feeds are overwhelming and will have hardly any overlap with your interests. Find the right instance for you, and half the "algorithm" work is done! Luckily, the Fediverse allows for moving your account between different instances - even between different social networks. -
Recently I read a post by some jackhole techbro who wants a default automatic feed algorithm here just like Big Social
.Opening the door for AI bullshit is not even the worst part of this idea.
Folks, all of us here ARE the algorithm. Personal curation is a feature, not a bug.
We make Mastodon awesome by following people and boosting what we find meaningful, significant or just cool. That's how it works.
Let's keep making friends. Let's keep sharing. Let's keep Mastodon alive. Together.

@lisamelton согласен с Вами!
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Recently I read a post by some jackhole techbro who wants a default automatic feed algorithm here just like Big Social
.Opening the door for AI bullshit is not even the worst part of this idea.
Folks, all of us here ARE the algorithm. Personal curation is a feature, not a bug.
We make Mastodon awesome by following people and boosting what we find meaningful, significant or just cool. That's how it works.
Let's keep making friends. Let's keep sharing. Let's keep Mastodon alive. Together.

@lisamelton That’s where all the magic is — you choose your own feed and the people you want to follow, without a forced algorithm. And it really feels like a more “alive” internet, where there’s a real community, not just an endless feed of whatever gets pushed to you
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Recently I read a post by some jackhole techbro who wants a default automatic feed algorithm here just like Big Social
.Opening the door for AI bullshit is not even the worst part of this idea.
Folks, all of us here ARE the algorithm. Personal curation is a feature, not a bug.
We make Mastodon awesome by following people and boosting what we find meaningful, significant or just cool. That's how it works.
Let's keep making friends. Let's keep sharing. Let's keep Mastodon alive. Together.

@lisamelton I do wonder, why are these techbros even on here if they don’t like it and want to enshittify it that much? I want to curate stuff, see stuff curated by other humans, and I don’t need a machine to ragebait me into screen time that’s off the charts!!
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hi david, thanks.
I think my misunderstanding stemmed from the fact that, i'm following a popular hashtag with numerous low quality posts. All of which are appearing on my feed. I'm also getting same entity posts
I realise there's a beauty behind a manually selected feed. Many Social Networks will use a hybrid model of a personalised selection and algorithmic filtering.
Noone wants #mastodon to become another Facebook. Let's respect (and learn from) our foe?
@DazRunner @david_chisnall @lisamelton I am a farmer,who is training young people about in school and communities about food production and sustainability,and we would like to connect with you for the sharing of knowledge and ideas on how we can practise in the best way.
Do you agree?