Gregory's Server
"Will a large platform like Meta joining Mastodon overwhelm smaller servers?"
That depends on how you define overwhelm doesn't it? From a technical standpoint: if we look at the amount of trouble many servers had in November 2022 with regards to scaling that gives us some indication of the challenges. But also how people dealt with it: buying more computer or staying small intentionally.
However, the sheer numbers are going to be absolutely crazy. See attached screenshot. I think we might start to see server blocks just in order to stay online to be honest. We can't win this scaling game so we need to find other models.
The FAQ ends with: " small servers will not be affected, and may not even notice the presence of Threads, except when they decide to follow specific users." That is a huge "except", of course people will start following Beyonce and what not and that will definitely impact smaller servers. Or what if Beyonce boosts a message from a small server to all her followers?
If we consider overwhelming culturally and socially the argument of @joenepraat has some merit: https://todon.nl/@joenepraat/110661775241957946
"Will Meta enforce content moderation policies on other servers?"
"Just like any Mastodon server, Threads will have their own moderation policies and tools, and just like any Mastodon server, they will be able to choose which content to block on their platform. However, their decisions can only affect their own platform. "
Of course, this is the best one. Typical libertarian individualist approach, no idea of coercion or unpleasant tradeoffs, nor of interdependence.
What if Meta defederates from you until you accept their ToS? What if you don't want to, but have to because all of your friends and family are on Meta? I mean, this is the dynamic they have been rolling with since forever. Why would this be different?
Mastodon.social is for all intents and purposes already unblockable because it is so big, and you will sever so many valuable connections by blocking the instance. This dynamic will only be exacerbated by Threads.
"Will Meta enforce content moderation policies on other servers?"
"Just like any Mastodon server, Threads will have their own moderation policies and tools, and just like any Mastodon server, they will be able to choose which content to block on their platform. However, their decisions can only affect their own platform. "