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

[varpie@peculiar.florist]

@taylorlorenz Traditional social media is built to drive engagement and be addictive, making them a big part of Gen Z's social difficulties (they are literally being sued for it). Decentralized platforms without such algorithms bring back the feeling of community, providing a more tailored experience (choose your software, Mastodon, GoToSocial, Iceshrimp, etc.) without blocking connections. You can join a server based on your personal preferences (language, geolocation, hobbies...), and if you find a better place, you can freely move, without losing your connections.

[davep@infosec.exchange]

@haubles @taylorlorenz

*BOOSTS HARD FOR MAXIMUM CLOUT*

[meowthias@mastodon.world]

@taylorlorenz Because independent app developers can add features to decentralized social networking that vastly enhance the experience. Both the ability to follow hashtags and timed mutes are absolutely genius and are the reason I'm not on Bluesky. What new, totally kicksss things are going to be created for the Fediverse next week?

[timmy@goblin.camp]

@taylorlorenz I see a lot of good responses. One contextual element is who is asking, and I think there are good answers that fit more for organizations. You can build a media platform that no one can take away from you. If you share a link to your post, no one will see a login wall. If i were an org, news outlet, or something like a very socially engaged regional music collective, i think the robust control of your platform actually means something important.

[markmalowany@mastodon.social]

@taylorlorenz Freedom. Free from algorithms. Free from the whims of an owner. It's people connecting as they see fit.

[cholling@bytes.programming.dev]

@philpetree @taylorlorenz Oh, they're still mining your data. They just use it to train AI instead of dictating what's in your feed.

[futurebird@sauropods.win]

@rancoisse @benroyce @taylorlorenz @midsomerplots

I'm still so upset about that. Imagine if I used YOU as a yogurt starter.

[benroyce@mastodon.social]

@futurebird @rancoisse @taylorlorenz @midsomerplots

formic acid is a cheap industrial product

leave the ants alone

[futurebird@sauropods.win]

@taylorlorenz

There are no ads.
There are no bots*
There is no secret algorithm controlled by strange billionaires and/or creeps trying to push agendas**
It's really fun and interactive and you meet great people, real individual people.

*Ya'll are such nerds you are going to bring up the good bots that we made and like, but you know exactly what I mean by this.
**ant propaganda doesn't count I'm not that rich either

[cstamp@mastodon.social]

@futurebird @benroyce @taylorlorenz

[beckermatic@pleroma.arielbecker.com]

@taylorlorenz «It's humanizing».

[rk@mastodon.well.com]

@benroyce @futurebird @rancoisse @taylorlorenz @midsomerplots

Anteaters (at least some of them) don’t produce stomach acid, they use the formic acid from the ants they eat.

That’s something I learned recently.

[michaelgemar@mstdn.ca]

@rancoisse @futurebird @benroyce @taylorlorenz @midsomerplots Do I want to know?

[futurebird@sauropods.win]

@taylorlorenz

I get why they call it a "decentralized network" but that description was kind of a turn off for me before I came here because I thought you were trapped in a little server with a few dozen people and what's the point of that?

The power is decentralized but the communication need not be. You can talk to anyone from any community. You can have all of those fun instances of cross pollination when different communities intersect.

The more the fedi grows the better this gets.

[futurebird@sauropods.win]

@michaelgemar @rancoisse @benroyce @taylorlorenz @midsomerplots

Scientists make yogurt using ants. The result: tangy and herby | Flipboard

NPR - Scientists test a traditional method for fermenting yogurt... using ants. AILSA CHANG, HOST: What if I told you ants might be able to make delicious yogurt? NPR's Regina Barber reports on a study out of Denmark that put a traditional fermenting method to the test. REGINA BARBER, BYLINE: Imagine you're …

Flipboard (flipboard.com)

[michaelgemar@mstdn.ca]

@futurebird @rancoisse @benroyce @taylorlorenz @midsomerplots No. No no no.

[blue@bigshoulders.city]

@taylorlorenz Profit isn't a motivating factor. Admins create and maintain instances because they want them to exist and other people to benefit from their existence.

[diraquel@masto.pt]

@taylorlorenz I usually start by explaining the chronological feed with no publicity; then, that it's not a platform, but a software run in many different places, so there is no one owner; then, I circle back to the fact that there are no algorithms choosing what you see on your feed.
I have the feeling I'm not persuasive enough, so I would love to hear other strategies.

[kierkegaanks@beige.party]

@taylorlorenz You get to keep a sane distance from Satan’s merchants on earth for one thing

[mcc@mastodon.social]

@taylorlorenz "Nobody controls the network. It's like email. If GMail loses their mind and starts inserting Republican propaganda everywhere, you might have to switch to Hotmail, but you can still use email. You can still email the people you used to email. It's not like you have to keep using GMail hating it more and more every day because this one single company is the only way you can email anybody."