Conversation

Notices

1. Ethan Schoonover (ethanschoonover@mastodon.social)'s status on Saturday, 18-Mar-2023 11:14:36 JST Ethan Schoonover

   Not wanting “algorithms” on mastodon’s feed because TWTR uses coersive algorithms is like not wanting to use any math because capitalism uses math.

   Stop conflating bad, manipulative use of algorithms w/the general use of (open/visible) algorithms for personal control over data you see.

   Chronological display IS AN ALGORITHM.

   Mastodon’s feed ISN’T JUST CHRONOLOGY (it has filters, algos re boost freq, etc).

   Mastodon’s feed could be a LOT better.

   I WANT an algorithmic view I can adjust!

   tiny 🧵

   • Adrian Cochrane repeated this.
   • Ethan Schoonover (ethanschoonover@mastodon.social)'s status on Saturday, 18-Mar-2023 11:17:54 JST Ethan Schoonover

     in reply to

     For example:

     If I like a lot of posts from someone, I would love for that person's posts to be visible more frequently in my feed so I don't miss them!

     I'd also like a setting that allows me to control that to an extent. Even if just on/off.

     I really want people to stop fetishizing "chronological display."

     It is not always the best view (and sometimes it's the worst, depending on your needs in the moment).

     Algorithms are not evil.

     Treating them as such is imprecise at best.

     tiny 🧵

     Adrian Cochrane repeated this.
   • Ethan Schoonover (ethanschoonover@mastodon.social)'s status on Saturday, 18-Mar-2023 11:17:54 JST Ethan Schoonover

     in reply to

     I'd actually love for Mastodon to have a Chronological Feed to appease everyone that has decided This is The Way and a tab or toggle for a Dynamic Feed based on user controllable, comprehensible algorithm options with good defaults.

     But again, please: Stop calling algorithms evil. It is neither useful nor precise.

     TWTR and FB and TikTok use their algorithms (and math, and databases) in a coercive manner. I am against manipulation, but I'm pro-algorithm.

     tiny 🧵end

   • Aral Balkan (aral@mastodon.ar.al)'s status on Saturday, 25-Mar-2023 16:33:17 JST Aral Balkan

     in reply to

     @ethanschoonover As with all things technological when it comes to whether a thing is good or bad, it comes down to who owns and controls it and has access to data. If you own and control the algorithms (and the data processed by them) that’s fine. If trillion-dollar corporations do, that’s the infrastructure for fascism.

   • Aral Balkan (aral@mastodon.ar.al)'s status on Saturday, 25-Mar-2023 23:54:25 JST Aral Balkan

     in reply to

     • Robert M. Kelly

     @rmkelly Well, gee, if they’re just amoral that’s ok then :)

     @ethanschoonover

   • Robert M. Kelly (rmkelly@zirk.us)'s status on Saturday, 25-Mar-2023 23:54:26 JST Robert M. Kelly

     in reply to

     • Aral Balkan

     @aral @ethanschoonover Partly agree, partly disagree. We should not assume that the "you" here would automatically be moral and make better choices than a corporation. Corporations are not immoral, they are amoral. But I agree that it's more likely that an individual would have more reasons to do the right thing with data and algorithms than corporations.