Bubble Alert
Unpopular opinion: Mastodon, by nature, is worse than Twitter when it comes to diversity of perspectives.
(Yes, I’m aware Twitter has been renamed, but I don’t really mind.)
Like other social networks, Twitter has been criticised for fostering filter bubbles through tightly knit followerships that work as echo chambers wherein those representing the bubble mainstream single out, shun, condemn, and frequently banish those harbouring opinions diverting from said bubble mainstream. The criticism is not without merit. However, the “flat” platform structure with its single server instance (Twitter itself) made it easy to reach out and find things, including those pesky points of view from outside one’s own bubble, and engage. To those with tolerance for ambiguity and diversity of opinion, that’s an asset.
Mastodon, with its federated nature, allows to manifest the concept of filter bubbles at the infrastructural level. Instead of the single server instance, there is a multitude of instances. Each Mastodon instance’s administrator has the power to decide which other instances’ content is visible for users of the admin’s instance. If an admin decides to establish a bubble by banning certain instances, it becomes much harder for users of that instance to get that horizon-widening extra perspective.
You may be inclined to point out that Twitter suppressed (before the ownership change) and suppresses (since the ownership change) certain opinions, and that Mastodon is here to change that. Oh, really?
Tags: the-nerdy-bit