Post #2419322

2022-11-20 00:16 UTC

While many people have commented on how much better it is here on Mastodon than it is on the birdsite, you should be aware that minorities (LGBTQ+, BIPOC, Jews) have been the targets of abuse here. Also, trolls have started to set up instances to attack scientists, for example: https://fediscience.org/@ct_bergstrom/109371920177171488. Let&#39;s not kid ourselves; we are in a (relative) honeymoon period before the assholes show up. Yes, we have tools to deal with them (muting, blocking, even defederation), but we need to do more.

Replies (4)

@dangerdyke@akko.disqordia.space 2022-11-20 11:26

@ryanschultz@mastodon.social it should be said that despite the smears and abuse received on here, twitter was far worse as a transfem

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@joekd1@mstdn.social 2022-11-20 14:01

@ryanschultz@mastodon.social I think by default, the trolls have less effect here than they do there. Twitter is optimized for engagement and the most controversial "hot takes" achieve a status above everything else. These popular posts overshadow all other reasonable voices algorithmically. On Mastodon, it's as if all voices are on equal footing. So the trolls would not have the same reach and the same effect

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@Judas@mstdn.social 2022-11-20 15:15

@ryanschultz@mastodon.social sadly abuse is the rock the net was built on. The choice seems to be shouting in an echo chamber or fighting constantly. Both sides will cancel you for choosing moderation sigh.

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@Superfreq@dragonscave.space 2022-11-20 21:05

@ryanschultz@mastodon.social I don't think we need to do more at all actually. I think the tools we have now are great and that doing anything more could accidentally quash genuine discussion and turn Mastodon into even more of a leftist echo chamber than it is now. sure if you're talking about moderators stepping up and doing the jobs they do now but more or hiring more people on to help out, I agree, but crap instances are always going to be crap and the administrators of those instances are not interested in changing anyway. conversely, those who want to create a safe space and ban any discussion that does not conform to their moral standards will also keep doing so anyway. I don't think that copying and pasting some updated, more strict code of conduct guidelines from a bigger server without actually understanding what you're saying is the solution to this problem long-term, even if I understand why people do it.

Open ##2994798