[Air-L] Migration to Mastodon

Thu Nov 10 06:57:54 PST 2022

I am loving this thread and wonder if it will turn up in a dissertation
somewhere LOL. But more seriously I want to throw an existential log onto
the fire here. Or maybe a little gasoline ...

Twitter (and other social media platforms) mine their users as the product.
So we know we are being exploited -- it's the whole business model. If we
chose to use a commercial platform, we are "willing slaves." A lot of
people have written about this eloquently and well (including many people
on this thread).

So it's like smoking I guess -- if I choose to smoke, I accept that there
is a 50% chance I will die of a tobacco-related disease. I make this choice
openly. I think if I choose to use Twitter (and I still do, albeit I'm like
one of those smokers who only smokes when drinking ... and keeps trying to
vie up) then I accept I have chosen to do something that is toxic for
society.

Wow, pretty dark and I'd love to be talked out of this attitude. I know
that social media, unlike smoking, does bring good to society in the form
of lifting up voices in #BlackLivesMatter and #MeToo. But I grow more and
more uncomfortable with being a part of the problem by being a 'product'
for Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, etc.

Sarah

Sarah Oates
Pronoun: she/her

Professor and Senior Scholar
Philip Merrill College of Journalism
Distinguished Scholar-Teacher
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742
Email: soates at umd.edu
Phone: 301 455 2332
www.media-politics.com
Twitter: @media_politics

*Support the UMD Student Crisis Fund
<https://giving.umd.edu/giving/showPage.php?name=crisis-funding> today. *

On Thu, Nov 10, 2022 at 9:37 AM Shulman, Stu via Air-L <
air-l at listserv.aoir.org> wrote:

> I am slowly finding new and interesting people on Mastodon, mostly
> academics. This ad-free platform has no hard-wired referral system. Some of
> the worst abuses of Twitter in elections over the last 5-6 years applied
> "Who to follow" algorithmic targeting to fuel division, hate, and
> advertising sales on every insurrectionist timeline. When you are not
> driven daily to find fellow extremists, trending topics, or to buy crypto
> currency, it feels safer. Bill, I hear you about the smaller size of the
> user population, but what did over-sized accounts on bloated commercial
> misinformation-laden weaponized platforms lead to? META + Musky
> Twitter. People used to say some companies are "too big to fail" however in
> some cases maybe they are now too big to succeed?
> https://mastodon.ie/web/@stu
>
> On Thu, Nov 10, 2022 at 8:42 AM Elena Razlogova via Air-L <
> air-l at listserv.aoir.org> wrote:
>
> > In re the number of people on Twitter: A number of academics and public
> > figures already locked their accounts or limited them to their "Twitter
> > circle," which means they will be only speaking to their current
> audiences,
> > not the 330 million of Twitter users. I also remember reading a number of
> > studies, some by people on this list, arguing that social media
> algorithms
> > put users into silos, sending them mostly messages they would already be
> > interested in. These factors seem to be lost in comparisons favoring
> "open"
> > Twitter over "siloed" Mastodon.
> >
> > One thing that does not seem to be possible on Mastodon is activism that
> > aims to jolt people out of their comfort zone--posting graphic pictures
> of
> > violence to get support for causes, for example. That will just get you
> > blocked. But building coalitions through deliberation works much better
> on
> > Mastodon. Mastodon also makes it impossible to attack a poster en masse
> for
> > an unpopular opinion, the way the right organized mob attacks of leftists
> > on Twitter.
> >
> > Elena
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > On Thu, Nov 10, 2022 at 7:42 AM William Dutton via Air-L <
> > air-l at listserv.aoir.org> wrote:
> >
> > > Great to see academics exploring Mastodon, but just to remind you of
> the
> > > blindingly obvious: it has about a million users, which is a
> surprisingly
> > > large number given the challenges in using it, but Twitter has about
> 330
> > > million. Obama alone has 130 million followers on Twitter. And Twitter
> > > knows it has to grow its base of users.
> > >
> > > Just one pragmatic point in favour of being active on a number of
> social
> > > media sites albeit this choice seems quite personal for many. It's a
> > > (relatively) free internet.
> > >
> > > Bill
> > >
> > > William H. Dutton
> > > 55 Victoria Road
> > > Oxford OX2 7QF
> > > United Kingdom
> > >
> > > william.dutton at gmail.com
> > > Twitter @BiIIDutton (II=two capital ii’s)
> > >
> > > Phone: +44 (0)1865 423836
> > > Mobile: +44 (0)7757 741670
> > >
> > > Blog: https://billdutton.me
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > > On 10 Nov 2022, at 11:42, Stephanie Jo “Learning Resiliency” Kent via
> > > Air-L <air-l at listserv.aoir.org> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Hello all,
> > > >
> > > > On the issue of trust, Cory Doctorow just posted a long Twitter
> > > thread/blog post about Certificates of Authenticity. It reads like a
> > > Nacirema ritual.
> > > >
> > > > Speaking of trust, is antiracism not an open topic of conversation on
> > > this list serve? I received a couple of private responses to a link
> about
> > > the Twitter migration to mastodon being perhaps an indicator of white
> > > fragility. I don’t know the norms for when one goes private versus
> public
> > > but the public silence in light of a couple of private responses was
> > > noticeable!
> > > >
> > > > For any of you interested here’s another tweet thread with links to a
> > > couple of perspectives from “beyond white, left-leaning accounts” —
> > >
> >
> https://twitter.com/sahdyadarr/status/1590266072627699713?s=46&t=JG_6hvzhr-wyhKV_0O_4Mw
> > > >
> > > > respectfully,
> > > > steph
> > > >
> > > >> On Nov 10, 2022, at 5:58 AM, Robert W Gehl via Air-L <
> > > air-l at listserv.aoir.org> wrote:
> > > >> Hi, Emma --
> > > >>
> > > >> One of the major critiques of the development of ActivityPub (the
> > > protocol underlying Mastodon, Pixelfed, PeerTube, etc) is that the
> > > developers did not pay enough attention to security and privacy
> > questions.
> > > Those concerns were bracketed off. For example, in terms of connections
> > > between servers, the developers assumed that other projects, like SSL,
> > > would solve any security issues. Encryption in general was bracketed
> off
> > as
> > > out of scope for the ActivityPub project. (To be fair, they had a lot
> on
> > > their plates).
> > > >>
> > > >> So, as a result, there are some definite privacy issues. DMs between
> > > two members are not end-to-end encrypted. An instance admin has a great
> > > deal of insight into the network, from member profiles to who is
> talking
> > to
> > > whom.
> > > >>
> > > >> There are people working on solutions to these problems. Indeed, one
> > of
> > > the key developers, Christine Lemmer-Webber, recognized the problem of
> > > encrypting DMs back in 2017:
> > https://github.com/w3c/activitypub/issues/225
> > > and has proposed some solutions in the time since.
> > > >>
> > > >> But currently, DMs are not encrypted.
> > > >>
> > > >> The key issue, as always, is trust. Admins have to foster trust
> among
> > > their members by being good actors. But we also know from hard
> experience
> > > that admins can break trust. So, Emma, your questions are BIG ones and
> > need
> > > to be pressed.
> > > >>
> > > >> Note that much of what I am saying is true of the corporate model,
> > > however. Twitter doesn't encrypt DMs. Yes, FB might have end-to-end
> > > encryption -- but of course, you have to trust that they haven't been
> > > compelled by a powerful state to have a backdoor. (And this is a
> company
> > > that holds a patent on an automated system to turn user data over to
> law
> > > enforcement).
> > > >>
> > > >> - Rob
> > > >>
> > > >>
> > > >> On 11/9/22 21:13, Dr. Emma Briant via Air-L wrote:
> > > >>> I’ll be honest, I’m a little worried about the privacy and security
> > > issue
> > > >>> of using these services. I did see Wolfie Christl (who I trust)
> share
> > > two
> > > >>> such sites and say he trusts the people behind them (
> > > >>> https://mastodon.social/@wchr/109299350293033545), but he also
> > > doesn’t seem
> > > >>> to have used them himself as his Mastodon follower count doesn’t
> seem
> > > high
> > > >>> like his Twitter. May I ask the community here whether anyone has
> > > concerns?
> > > >>> Many thanks,
> > > >>> Emma
> > > >>>
> > > >>> On Wed, 9 Nov 2022 at 16:07, Sarah Ann Oates via Air-L <
> > > >>> air-l at listserv.aoir.org> wrote:
> > > >>>
> > > >>>> This app to help migrate from Twitter to Mastodon was recommended
> > by a
> > > >>>> colleague today; I have yet to try it but looks promising:
> > > >>>> https://pruvisto.org/debirdify/
> > > >>>> Sarah
> > > >>>> Sarah Oates
> > > >>>> Pronoun: she/her
> > > >>>> Professor and Senior Scholar
> > > >>>> Philip Merrill College of Journalism
> > > >>>> Distinguished Scholar-Teacher
> > > >>>> University of Maryland
> > > >>>> College Park, MD 20742
> > > >>>> Email: soates at umd.edu
> > > >>>> Phone: 301 455 2332
> > > >>>> www.media-politics.com
> > > >>>> Twitter: @media_politics
> > > >>>> *Support the UMD Student Crisis Fund
> > > >>>> <https://giving.umd.edu/giving/showPage.php?name=crisis-funding>
> > > today. *
> > > >>>> On Tue, Nov 8, 2022 at 10:22 AM Steph Kent via Air-L <
> > > >>>> air-l at listserv.aoir.org> wrote:
> > > >>>>> Hi all,
> > > >>>>> Following the Twitter|Mastodon threads with critical interest. I
> > > >>>> appreciate
> > > >>>>> the invitation from Michael Ruigrok to  members of this group to
> > > bring
> > > >>>> your
> > > >>>>> sophisticated knowledge and experience to the improvement of
> > > federated,
> > > >>>>> communal social networks. I'm always interested in access,
> thinking
> > > about
> > > >>>>> outlier groups such as the Deaf, for whom text is frequently not
> a
> > > >>>>> sufficient accommodation (despite the convenience of this belief
> > for
> > > >>>>> h/Hearing people). *That said, Deaf academics on Twitter are
> > > formidable!
> > > >>>>> I'm glad of the resources from Meryl, Joly and Fred Fuchs too, as
> > > I'm at
> > > >>>>> the edge of my learning curve learning how to navigate Mastodon.
> > > >>>>> Wanted to share this political, antiracist perspective from Tim
> > > Wise, who
> > > >>>>> argues that it's mainly white liberals who are concerned with
> > > 'fleeing'
> > > >>>> the
> > > >>>>> new Twitter
> > > >>>>> <
> > > >>>>
> > >
> >
> https://timjwise.medium.com/fleeing-twitter-the-twexodus-is-about-white-liberal-fragility-3631cb2ac317
> > > >>>>>> ,
> > > >>>>> suggesting this is evidence of the pervasiveness of white
> fragility
> > > --
> > > >>>> even
> > > >>>>> among progressives.
> > > >>>>> best regards,
> > > >>>>> steph
> > > >>>>> On Tue, Nov 8, 2022 at 1:30 AM Fred Fuchs via Air-L <
> > > >>>>> air-l at listserv.aoir.org>
> > > >>>>> wrote:
> > > >>>>>> Here's a TechRadar article on Mastodon.
> > > >>>>
> > >
> >
> https://www.techradar.com/news/mastodon-is-a-great-twitter-alternative-but-it-needs-to-be-easier-to-sign-up
> > > >>>>>> Fred
> > > >>>>>> --
> > > >>>>>> Fred Fuchs - Founder, CEO, & Producer
> > > >>>>>> FireSabre Consulting LLC
> > > >>>>>> ---
> > > >>>>>> On 11/7/2022 8:26 AM, Fred Fuchs wrote:
> > > >>>>>>> On 11/7/2022 6:51 AM, Richard Forno via Air-L wrote:
> > > >>>>>>>> I have a hard time *relying* on a communications platform
> > > >>>>>>>> run by a company now fully engaged in the proverbial
> > > >>>>>>>> "move fast, break things" mentality based on whatever
> > > >>>>>>>> singular whims or rage cycle its owner is in at the time
> > > >>>>>>>> a decision is made.   To wit:  They are now asking people
> > > >>>>>>>> just fired to come back, b/c nobody knew they were
> > > >>>>>>>> integral to the features Musk wanted to develop.  (Were
> > > >>>>>>>> it me, I'd say sure, but double my salary.)
> > > >>>>>>> Sadly this is not uncommon during "regime changes" at
> > > >>>>>>> Internet tech companies. The new leadership fires far more
> > > >>>>>>> people than they should've, and then often has to hire
> > > >>>>>>> some or even many back at a significant salary increase.
> > > >>>>>>> On top of that, some of those with good employment
> > > >>>>>>> prospects may decide to seek better opportunities. So
> > > >>>>>>> their possibly irreplaceable tech and business practices
> > > >>>>>>> knowledge is lost forever.
> > > >>>>>>> Fred
> > > >>>>>>> ---
> > > >>>>>>> On 11/7/2022 6:51 AM, Richard Forno via Air-L wrote:
> > > >>>>>>>> It's not Musk's views per se that's driven me from
> > > >>>>>>>> Twitter, but that's a major reason, sure.
> > > >>>>>>>> I have a hard time *relying* on a communications platform
> > > >>>>>>>> run by a company now fully engaged in the proverbial
> > > >>>>>>>> "move fast, break things" mentality based on whatever
> > > >>>>>>>> singular whims or rage cycle its owner is in at the time
> > > >>>>>>>> a decision is made.   To wit:  They are now asking people
> > > >>>>>>>> just fired to come back, b/c nobody knew they were
> > > >>>>>>>> integral to the features Musk wanted to develop. (Were it
> > > >>>>>>>> me, I'd say sure, but double my salary.)   He's also
> > > >>>>>>>> reversed other polices and views that he preached -- he
> > > >>>>>>>> was against permabans until Kathy Gifford parodied him
> > > >>>>>>>> over the weekend, so she's banned.  He's also said other
> > > >>>>>>>> people not 'clearly identifying' as parody accounts would
> > > >>>>>>>> be perma-banned. That's a far cry from his views about
> > > >>>>>>>> how the company handled other perma-bans in recent
> > > >>>>>>>> years.  The entire company -- and platform -- now feels
> > > >>>>>>>> rather unstable in many ways, and I feel sorry for the
> > > >>>>>>>> many serfs still there who will endure such chaos ....
> > > >>>>>>>> and it's only been a week!
> > > >>>>>>>> Heck, if I wanted to interact on a platform conducting a
> > > >>>>>>>> perpetual beta test[1], I'd use something from Google.
> > > >>>>>>>> -- rick
> > > >>>>>>>> [1] either technical or managerial
> > > >>>>>> _______________________________________________
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> --
> Dr. Stuart W. Shulman
> Founder and CEO, Texifter
> Editor Emeritus, *Journal of Information Technology & Politics*
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