The main difference, however, is the content warning system. This is a subtle but very important thing. The original culture of Fediverse and Mastodon was created by marginalized communities, especially LGBTQ+ people. They created a warning system, which is unique among social networks as far as I know. Basically, if you’re sharing something that others might not like, you can put it behind a warning.
Mastodon via Justin Pot
For example, if I were to share a picture of myself naked I would write a warning about “white naked naked”. Anyone who wants to see me, for some reason, can click to do so, but everyone else is saved. This is useful for nudity, yes, but the Mastodon culture also applies it to just about any cause — think mental health or family trauma.
The system evolved from there. It became a way to post content that most people don’t care to read without compromising your followers. So if I, a person who doesn’t usually write about politics, decides to write about politics, I can put a warning to explain that I am doing this. Then people who are scrolling can decide if they want to read or not.
Mastodon became a great place for many in the late 2010s, which were dark years for many in need. It should be a place of openness, not the arguments that social media has become. This tool helps make this possible, so try to respect it. Look at how people are using it and try to do the same.
One more thing: If you are uploading images, make sure you leave a description of the image. This helps anyone who is blind to see what’s in the picture, and is often considered a good thing.
On Trolls
The Fediverse is not without torture, but there are weapons against it. The first thing you need to know is that there are servers out there dedicated to running and harassing people on other servers. Most of these servers are blocked by popular servers, so if you are using one of them you will not encounter them. If you do, you can block and report the user to your server administrators, who will respond quickly. Note that you, alone, can also ban all servers.
The Revolution Is Not Ready (Dating)
The Internet was never meant to be what it is today, a service we use to access a few social networks. The web was a great place – where people with different interests lived on different sites. I’m not saying it was better, exactly – God knows the old internet was messed up – but there were facts.
This was before “engagement optimization” was a thing, back when people built blogs and websites from scratch and managed their RSS readers. We lost that spirit when we moved our online time away from small, independent communities of shared interest, to the dopamine-fueled programs that make most of us depressed, anxious, and angry while a few Silicon types The valley is very rich. .
