Today theres a few convos about #threads, #bluesky and the #fediverse going on. So here's my view: its a very good thing that platforms move towards federation, as much as each can or are willing. Its not a competition for how big a platform is, otherwise half of the fediverse would have died a long time ago. But it didnt die. Why not? Bc those small places are fun, useful and enjoyed by their users. /1
These platforms are different, its the difference that counts. Blusesky is easy, its mainstream without being mega sized, it's novel. Threads is easy, VERY mainstream, its Instagram for chatting, without the massive commercialism (for now). Mastodon is not so easy, its smaller, cleverer, more bijou. Fussier to join but is that a bad thing? Probably not. /2
When I pop into #Mastodon I get this very positive vibe. Like actual people are here talking with each other, not at each other. I really get this warm good feeling, like a sort of deja vu of what it was like when I was into tech 20 yrs ago. That all kinds of connections with people are possible. That it is *authentic*, that it can *matter* what happens here /3
I have already met really interesting people here. Im not sure this ever really happens on the big mega platforms much or at all. It never happened to me in the past and I was on Xtwtr since 2009. It was only for folks with massive follow stats and already well known companies. It wasnt for the little people ever /4
I think Mastodon and all the other cool smaller Fedi platforms have zero need to grow to mega scale. They need to just keep doing what they're doing. They wont be swamped by big platforms (and I think ALL the socmed platforms will federate in the end). Tim Chambers put me right early on about whether we'd get swamped by Threads (I thought we would). No, if you follow Threads accts, youll see those accounts, if you dont, you wont. I do this, and that's what happens. /5
I look forward to the day when all socmed and even other human communication an information tech is interoperable and federated. To me this is the only future there is. It wont prevent companies being commercial and for profit, but it will permit a much more regulated playing field for other tech to work alongside equitably, even though its smaller, or open source. So yeah thats it. Thats how I see it going. 6/