Gregory's Server@dragoncrown I do agree with these things, but I have an allergic reaction to any post that says “boost if you agree.”
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28 comments
@raphaelmorgan @Rabbit Good thing there's no numbers here to chase after an algorithm. This is merely for my own edification. 🙃 @Rabbit Fair, but this post is actually to satiate a curiosity of mine, not engagement. One of my favorite things about this platform is that the engagement chase is not much if a thing here. 😁 @raphaelmorgan @Rabbit Very true, but a poll requires less commitment. A boost means a public endorsement of the message. That's what I'm really interested in seeing. @dragoncrown @Rabbit I guess that's fair, but I publicly endorse these all the time with most of what I say and do, so I'm still not going to boost and subject my followers to "if you don't boost the Democrat yard sign that means you don't believe in basic human rights" (not trying to be rude, I just literally have seen p much this exact post as a Democrat yard sign) just so they can go through the same moral conundrum @raphaelmorgan @Rabbit That's fair. Far be it from me to impose like that. This isn't the bird app. 😉 @raphaelmorgan @dragoncrown @Rabbit Just as a "smile" is free and can cause only positive waves, so too is manifesting positivity by spreading it.The only cost being a decision and tap! Nature manifests beauty as it's existence by design. @raphaelmorgan @dragoncrown @Rabbit would a poll allow you to see the breakdown of numbers by instances? @Mellifluence @raphaelmorgan @Rabbit Funny you say that because I've been wondering how I'm going to parse it all in a spreadsheet. 🤣 @dragoncrown @raphaelmorgan @Rabbit maybe this is what you need https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/rtoot/rtoot.pdf @Mellifluence @dragoncrown it wouldn't, but would this? like I guess he could go through the boost notifications one by one and count them but that sounds pretty exhausting @raphaelmorgan @Mellifluence There is also another corollary I am paying attention to. One of the things I really like about Mastodon is that its very design and lack of algorithm creates a friction that inherently prevents virality. It would take a vast, concerted user effort for a message to spread. Especially from a small account. I am interested to see how far it goes. @dragoncrown sure thing, though particularly within a server, it can feel a bit like a purity test. What does it mean if someone doesn’t boost? Does who they are matter? What does it actually mean if they do? @Rabbit It only means they didn't boost it. Speculating on the reasons behind why is not productive and I don't believe it to be indicative of the person. @Rabbit @dragoncrown I also struggle with this and probably won't boost again. It was a constant on the birdsite and didn't feel great. @Rabbit Yeah I'm not sure what the experiment is about - @dragoncrown was there something in particular you were thinking about? Is there a 'control' post somewhere? Sounds like an interesting idea would be good to know more about it. @Rabbit @dragoncrown I boost if I want to boost. "Boost if you agree" is just the Mastodon version of a chain letter. It also reminds me of a certain kind of lawn sign in the US that is also seemingly popular with people who are anti-housing, to the point where people are putting up parody signs. |
@Rabbit @dragoncrown same here, always reminds me of people on Tumblr trying to manipulate people into making number go up