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I really hope y'all understand I'm trying to improve the experience here and in so doing make this a healthier and more attractive place to be.
I didn't want to be a squeaky wheel but you know what they say...
Thank you for raising these issues. Random thoughts:
- The party/host analogy is great and hopefully becomes widely accepted.
- While town squares and other social forums have been around for a long time, social media is new and we are still developing our cultural norms.
- Cultural norms are more important than technology for addressing these issues.
- Other users should chime in to criticize such behaviors to support posters.
- Discussions like these are vital.
@mastodonmigration @TechConnectify I’d disagree with there assertion that cultural norms are more important then technology.
In a ‘the medium is the message’ vein, the cultural norms are derived as a response to the inherent attributes of the technology. Different platforms feel different because their tech design encourages different behavior.
Fighting against the tech by trying to enforce norms is an uphill battle, much easier to create the tech in a way that encourages good cultural norms.
@Ethan @mastodonmigration I honestly think you're not really in disagreement, but the problem is that right now the technology does not support there even *being* cultural norms.
A big point of contention for me right now is that the crowd can't really contribute anything. Every post just gets a big bucket of replies, and when that bucket is so big and unsorted, people just throw thoughts at it without seeing what's already said.
Plus, little to no visibility of affirmation is also problematic
@Ethan @mastodonmigration A lot of people seem to use this space with a peer-to-peer mindset and ignore the fact that there's a public square component.
So when you are not a big presence here, it will feel tight knit and usable. But once you get above maybe 5,000 followers, it just becomes impossible to manage.
Smaller users simply don't see that problem, and with the general suspicion towards large accounts, it can be difficult for folks to understand what I'm saying I need.
It gets very tough indeed when you are left on your own. Recently this subject became front and center with another very popular poster. What seemed to help was when, in recognition of the stress and hardship that such comments where causing, their larger audience got animated and engaged in their defense. Not saying there shouldn't be better tools, but closing ranks in support of a poster who's work is valued, creating that party/host frame, can make a huge difference.
Guess the simple thought is that if you see someone being a jerk in a thread, don't hesitate to throw them a little side eye. Help out the poster. It will be appreciated.