In a recent comparison of engagement around a Leave
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In a recent comparison of engagement around a Leave.X campaign post,[1] someone pointed out that a female journalist who is active in the feminist movement and critical of Big Tech had a very different experience than others.
The Mastodon post was shared twice, while the Bluesky version was shared over 200 times and received significantly more interactions. This raises questions about tech-savvy spaces like Mastodon and how they reflect broader societal issues.
For women on Mastodon:
Do you feel that the patriarchal dynamics and male behavior in this space, which is still largely dominated by white men, make it harder for women to participate?
#Mastodon #Diversity #Fediversity #Fediverse #Feminism #BlueSky #Inclusion
@everton137
Do u know this catgirl fediverse vs. mansplainer mastodon meme ? -
@_elena @anthropy @everton137 can you recommend some feminists to follow?
@Tamtam @anthropy @everton137 sorry for the belated reply...
here are some recommendations:
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@everton137 My experience here is different from other spaces, in that I run an instance, and work to build a community that is inclusive. I have agency here that I don't have anywhere else.
I hope that the community I strive to support feels that support. We are far from perfect. But we try. And I take my responsibilities here seriously.
I feel the same way. My mastodon does not feel predominantly male and white, but that’s because of who I follow and who follows me.
I don’t care too much about number of engagements with my posts but who is engaging with them, I’m much happier with that here than on Bsky.
It doesn’t matter to me how many ppl see my posts but rather that ppl respond in meaningful ways that improves my life.
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@everton137
Do u know this catgirl fediverse vs. mansplainer mastodon meme ?@moin nope...
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@Tamtam @anthropy @everton137 sorry for the belated reply...
here are some recommendations:
@_elena @Tamtam @anthropy @IX @CarveHerName @lessanspages grazie mille!
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@everton137 the humourless mansplaining on here is ridiculous. I don’t think it’s the misogyny of Twitter, but the cluelessness of the undersocialised. I know women on here who say they won’t post publicly because of those kind of replies. I can see why Bluesky is more appealing for many.
@awfulwoman @everton137 yeah, this. if you're posting about computers in a way that men like you will maybe get some traction (for better or worse). its the lack of people being interested in non-dude topics on fedi that makes this place feel like a boys club tbh - bsky and their ilk are far better places to get a range of views on pop culture, film, art, the news and so on even if i dont love it there. its kinda the r/malelivingspace of the internet at times.
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@awfulwoman @everton137 yeah, this. if you're posting about computers in a way that men like you will maybe get some traction (for better or worse). its the lack of people being interested in non-dude topics on fedi that makes this place feel like a boys club tbh - bsky and their ilk are far better places to get a range of views on pop culture, film, art, the news and so on even if i dont love it there. its kinda the r/malelivingspace of the internet at times.
@kim @awfulwoman I don't actively use Bluesky, except to share some things on my Leave X campaign account, but I believe I understand you.
I have a similar feeling regarding topics I miss seeing more often here on Mastodon. I had a good experience after getting active on Pixelfed for some time though.
everton137 (@everton137@vivaldi.net)
Attached: 1 image Discovered a new corner of the #Fediverse that’s a lot less techy: @pixelfed@pixelfed.social. I’ve got two accounts there: one mostly for dog pics (@everton137@pixelfed.social 🐶) and another for the #LeaveX campaign (@leavex@gram.social). I surely enjoy some tech and political discussions here, but every now and then it’s nice to take a breath of different air, so I’ll be hanging out on Pixelfed for a bit. Got a few interactions yesterday and started exploring the vibe. And honestly, I’m loving it. #pixelfed #Mastodon #art
Vivaldi Social (social.vivaldi.net)
Also, I think here is still not a place for small businesses that need outreach
everton137 (@everton137@vivaldi.net)
Most businesses create social media accounts, and the reason is obvious: to reach customers and partners. But imagine living in a world dominated by major tech platforms, walled gardens where millions, sometimes billions, of people interact every day. That’s our current reality, shaped by growing corporate control over our digital lives. Now think of any small business you know: a bar, a restaurant, a tattoo studio, a local shop, a vet clinic… If most people are still on traditional platforms, what arguments would you give a small business to convince them to share their content on #Pixelfed or #Mastodon, instead of staying on #Instagram or moving to #Bluesky? Have you tried already? What were the results? #SocialMedia #BigTech #Fediverse
Vivaldi Social (social.vivaldi.net)
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In a recent comparison of engagement around a Leave.X campaign post,[1] someone pointed out that a female journalist who is active in the feminist movement and critical of Big Tech had a very different experience than others.
The Mastodon post was shared twice, while the Bluesky version was shared over 200 times and received significantly more interactions. This raises questions about tech-savvy spaces like Mastodon and how they reflect broader societal issues.
For women on Mastodon:
Do you feel that the patriarchal dynamics and male behavior in this space, which is still largely dominated by white men, make it harder for women to participate?
#Mastodon #Diversity #Fediversity #Fediverse #Feminism #BlueSky #Inclusion
I don't know what to think about it. Although I've never experienced any prejudice for being a woman here, I get the impression that most people think I'm a man because some used the wrong pronouns by default. Perhaps it's because of the subjects I write about, or my avatar and foreign pseudonym.
But I've realised that I'm often scared to show my face because I feel I'll never be taken seriously again - people might think that I'm too 'girly' to talk about tech, open source, self-hosting, and so on. I guess it's a residual effect of having worked as a web developer, being the only female developer in open spaces and experiencing condescending behaviour for years. If I can forget that I have a gender, at least online, then I guess I prefer it. Maybe that says a lot about the state of things? -
@everton137 my theory is that Mastodon/Fediverse rewards follower numbers way more than Bluesky. A Mastodon account with lots of followers like LeaveX gets its posts shared massively, while a Mastodon account with few followers gets its posts shared rarely at all. Bluesky is way more balanced in the middle for most accounts in my experience.
@nitrml @everton137
I think that is a huge, if not the biggest, factor. Mastodon solely relies on your interaction with visibility through hastags and followers. And also the instance you are on. Mine is heavily moderated to create a safe space for certain people, so a lot of people are on mute or blocked. But even if they weren't, I think it depends on how much you understand to get engagement. -
@elfi I agree. Still, I think it can be valuable to discuss this topic and listen to the perspective of women and queer communities in this social space. A more qualified sociological research would be interesting.
@everton137 Oh yeah, no doubt. It's worth having this conversation because it's got so many things going on in it, and it'd be neat to see what kind of research could go into it as long as it's not just looking at one point on the network when even dot social's been defederated by multiple servers as a moderation headache
Plus I will say on the queer fedi side that there's definitely a whiteness problem still, even if not male-dominated
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@everton137 I don#t have much of a problem with the men on the platform. But I miss feminism. Feminist discussions are underrepresented.Some of the men are feminist, but that's not what I mean. i am wondering where all the feminists are. The women. But as I don't care for algorithms, I guess I'm gonna wait for them to arrive here. And talk to the few feminists I found here in the
meantime@Tamtam @everton137
I struggle with that as well. I came here for art, but I do like to sometimes discuss politics of all kinds, but have the feeling most people either don't care that much or have no idea what to say
Or maybe I still don't understand posting that well.
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In a recent comparison of engagement around a Leave.X campaign post,[1] someone pointed out that a female journalist who is active in the feminist movement and critical of Big Tech had a very different experience than others.
The Mastodon post was shared twice, while the Bluesky version was shared over 200 times and received significantly more interactions. This raises questions about tech-savvy spaces like Mastodon and how they reflect broader societal issues.
For women on Mastodon:
Do you feel that the patriarchal dynamics and male behavior in this space, which is still largely dominated by white men, make it harder for women to participate?
#Mastodon #Diversity #Fediversity #Fediverse #Feminism #BlueSky #Inclusion
@everton137 I'm a bit doubtful about the results of this poll. It would be more useful to see a breakdown by gender group (eg. male vs non-male). Plus, people who have been driven away, some of them very publicly, are not going to be counted here.
But definitely great to see the conversations in the replies!
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In a recent comparison of engagement around a Leave.X campaign post,[1] someone pointed out that a female journalist who is active in the feminist movement and critical of Big Tech had a very different experience than others.
The Mastodon post was shared twice, while the Bluesky version was shared over 200 times and received significantly more interactions. This raises questions about tech-savvy spaces like Mastodon and how they reflect broader societal issues.
For women on Mastodon:
Do you feel that the patriarchal dynamics and male behavior in this space, which is still largely dominated by white men, make it harder for women to participate?
#Mastodon #Diversity #Fediversity #Fediverse #Feminism #BlueSky #Inclusion
@everton137 Feminist, journalist, woman here. I'm used to be in male-dominated spaces (I was one of the first women at a newspaper). Mastodon was such a space but it got better. The big problems here: it's very much tech people. It's difficult and takes efforts to build/find communities for other topics (mine was nature). Here's more mansplaining, reply guys, people who explain you your profession only because you are a woman. You have to be tough. And yes, we have a big problem with moderation
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@Tamtam @_elena Brazil had some leadership on open source matters several years ago. It faded away somehow.
I left the country ten years ago, but it would be interesting to understand why the Fediverse use is so weak.
Lots of people from my non profit bubble in Brazil preferred to migrate to BlueSky.
As an example, in my field, open government data, the Open Government Partnership started in Brazil.
Tagging, in case some Brazilian living there could have a more sound opinion: #Brazil #Fediverse #Mastodon #SoftwareLivre #Brasil
Ideas, @josemurilo ?
In my view, there are some aspects to mention:
1) By the time of Dilma's coup in 2016, we had a significant migration from Twitter, specially among digital culture activists. I've managed a Mastodon instance (ecodigital.social), and many colleagues and friends were invited to participate, but we were not ready to understand what was at stake at the time. I believe many who had that experience think Mastodon has already failed, and don't deserve another chance, then Bluesky.
…
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In my view, there are some aspects to mention:
1) By the time of Dilma's coup in 2016, we had a significant migration from Twitter, specially among digital culture activists. I've managed a Mastodon instance (ecodigital.social), and many colleagues and friends were invited to participate, but we were not ready to understand what was at stake at the time. I believe many who had that experience think Mastodon has already failed, and don't deserve another chance, then Bluesky.
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@josemurilo how did mastodon fail them?
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@ultrazool @okfn I think you read misread it. It's written @okbr
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@Tamtam @everton137
I struggle with that as well. I came here for art, but I do like to sometimes discuss politics of all kinds, but have the feeling most people either don't care that much or have no idea what to say
Or maybe I still don't understand posting that well.@t_robinart Hashtags can help very much or fedigroups! It was the way I found people for my interests. Help: https://fedi.tips
For politics e.g. you take the letters for a country with "pol" like USPol or you look for politics. -
@nitrml @everton137
I think that is a huge, if not the biggest, factor. Mastodon solely relies on your interaction with visibility through hastags and followers. And also the instance you are on. Mine is heavily moderated to create a safe space for certain people, so a lot of people are on mute or blocked. But even if they weren't, I think it depends on how much you understand to get engagement. -
@t_robinart Hashtags can help very much or fedigroups! It was the way I found people for my interests. Help: https://fedi.tips
For politics e.g. you take the letters for a country with "pol" like USPol or you look for politics.@NatureMC
I keep forgetting about groups. :'D Thanks for the reminder! -
@josemurilo how did mastodon fail them?
I don't think Mastodon failed them. We came in 2016 trying to emulate the twitter experience we were addicted to at the time, and that was not available without the centralized algorithm.
I can say that, "among the crowd" (which is to say the relatively small group of digital activists) from the 00's in Brazil, Mastodon then became a symbol of failure (in becoming a Twitter substitute).
But as we all know now, the Fediverse is something different, for good.
