Notices by Kate (katebowles@mastodon.social), page 4

Dubbing your lens as the sole lens = weak. It's a universe; there's going to be parts you won't be able to reach, parts you can't understand, parts you never grok. That's fine. That's not something you can get with other platforms.

[whispers] the dividing line between "needs a cw" and "doesn't need a cw" is always going to be fuzzy and communally determined, and structural hierarchies strongly color what counts as "politics" vs "personal life" to different people

Sorry I am on a train with FA else to do.
Source: https://www.dailydot.com/debug/mastodon-fediverse-eugen-rochko/

There's an interesting aspect that due to decentralisation there are many fediverses. For example my home timeline is so heckin political and our instance is generally aligned around the term libertarian socialism.

What is clear is that there isn't a hegemonic fediverse. It is much more...o wait...decentralised

People who think fedi is aligned with this or that ideology or is apolitical altogether aren't seeing the whole picture. Because trust me, fedi is way more than just ancoms and the politically apathetic.

Carving out a niche is fine, but don't live under the illusion that your niche is all that it is and will ever be. Perpetuating the illusion because that's what /you/ see will lead to someone else's disappointment. Everyone's viewpoint on fedi is unique and won't necessarily be shared.

I think fedi requires an open mind, or at least, tolerance for the fact that people are going to say things you aren't gonna like, that they will behave in ways you aren't used to, that some people aren't gonna be a good fit for you, and that you're gonna /need/ that block or mute button.

Otherwise, you're setting yourself up for disappointment at best, or pain at worst.

This article debacle vaguely reminds me of newbies coming into Occupy ICE camp and asking who's the one in charge of such-and-such. This space was absolutely anarchist by necessity. This space existed in everyone's spare moments and free time, so there couldn't be 'The Person In Charge Of Thing'. Often, the answer to the newbie's question was to bring them to the tent where such-and-such Was Done and then tell them to help themselves. It was a beautiful and odd dissonance of function for people looking for hierarchy where there isn't and couldn't be. It was overwhelming to a lot, I'm sure, especially near the end of the month-long run of the camp. There was plenty to do, and people were generally helpful in whatever direction was needed. So it often felt, to those that think in hierarchies, that they must become Person In Charge of Thing, when that would clearly be asking too much of one being, and also, no one was asking them to do it. They confuse decentralization with chaos.

reading everyones hot takes about the daily dot piece. ugh. people are really forgetting how decentralization works. there is no "mastodon" culture. there are bubbles. failing to mention that over half the people on the fediverse don't speak english and live in countries that have their own politics and their own presidents and dictators to talk about.

Journalism about digital space is fucking hard. I have rarely read a single piece I could just nod my head to. We all have different reasons for using social media. Everything is experiential.

The internet is not the domain of white sensibilities. It is not the property of the most awful people humanity has to offer.

It is for all of us. There is space for everyone to have healthy community that actually edifies and brightens our lives rather than make it worse.

Many people who just so happen to be white do not believe that and they specifically target people like me to ruin our experience and sour the well.

But they cannot stop what I'm doing. They can't stop what we are building