The Fediverse was created spontaneously in true grassroots fashion and based on free software projects, great principles and values. A vibrant culture thrives on it. There’s more potential here: “Social Media Reimagined” are in our Fediverse Futures.
I am part of SocialHub community, where we evolve the technology base. Humane technology is being created here. Fediverse is a makers space, innovation hub, and playground for would-be humane technologists.
And… It belongs to everyone, exists in the Commons for all people, not part of Big Tech. Consider your freedom, explore this place, and let’s build together here.
Very inspiring example here is a recent announcement by @dansup the core developer of Pixelfed (the better alternative to Instagram), to revert and remove some features already built because they are addictive anti-features. I’ll quote from the toots (highlight mine):
Was recently contacted by someone who mentioned the trending feature has changed the way they use Pixelfed. They find themselves constantly checking like counts and trying to get on the discover trending page by engaging in like-for-like behaviour that is prevalent on other platforms like Instagram.
When I designed the Trending feature, I did not consider the implications of ranking content by like counts. I’ve observed that most trending posts on pixelfed.social belong to a small group of accounts with many followers, making it harder for other users to appear on trending.
Pixelfed cannot be a better and ethical alternative if it ignores the gamification and FOMO [deception] patterns found on popular platforms. We will fix this. #pixelfed
Redaktor, a multimedia CMS for the Fediverse is creating a library of widgets based on humane design. Instead of using a “Like” button (a Like is a core message format on the Fediverse) they intend to rename it to “Respect” instead. See this post where it was announced by the developer.
The icon - still a concept - might look like this:
What a great find! I reacted:
I like (or rather respect ) it. A creative twist to this feature. Can be used in a broader range of reactions than Like. And it ensures more contemplation before you give someone your respect i.e. it is more personal. More social. A good find
) it. A creative twist to this feature. Can be used in a broader range of reactions than Like. And it ensures more contemplation before you give someone your respect i.e. it is more personal. More social. A good find 