I'm trying not to post "surprised pikachu face" memes about all of the people discovering that tiktok is now censoring coverage of protests, and mentions of Epstein.

And I'm watching as everyone tramples over to Yet Another Corporate Platform where the same thing will happen in a few dozen months.

Ya'll need to get out for real.

Or at least have a backup that doesn't run on OPP (Other People's Platforms)

**be nice**
**teach don't yell**

**girl, you can't even get off of youTube, don't be so imperious**

... but please, why can't anyone spot the pattern?

@futurebird LOL I don't think that's the meaning of "OPP" in the song. 😂

@ai6yr

"It's O.P.P. time, other people's, but you get it
There's no room for relationship, there's just room to hit it
How many brothers out there know just what I'm gettin' at?
Who thinks it's wrong 'cause I'm splittin' and co-hittin' that?
Well if you do, that's O.P.P and you're not down with it
But if you don't, here's your membership"

It's totally about platforms.

@futurebird It truly is nothing short of amazing isn't it? Horrible things happen to them because of the nature of the platform, so what do they do? Just move to another of the same blasted thing. And then it hurts them, so they just move to another of the same thing.

And whenever we try to tell them "hey, there is an alternative that won't screw you like that" they ignore us or even get mad at us.

It's like Windows users complaining about Copilot + Recall wondering why we keep saying Linux

@nazokiyoubinbou

"And whenever we try to tell them "hey, there is an alternative that won't screw you like that" they ignore us or even get mad at us."

To be fair. No one is hearing this. I've come to notice how there are big efforts made to migrate people to platforms. To recapture audiences in new spaces. This happens through media and influencers and I suspect some people spend a lot of money on it. Most people are simply not aware there is any other option.

@KimberlyN

"Many people are so focused on being wherever they perceive everyone one else is"

To be fair ... this is part of the whole point of social media. To... be where the action is and all the people...?

I don't know how to break the cycle.

We've put some cracks in it though. That's something.

@nazokiyoubinbou

Think of it like someone who comes up to you and says:

"You just breathe air? You just ... drink water? You think a filter will matter? Listen. I make my air and water from raw elements at home. Keep it in this tank. I have total control of what I breathe and drink! This is why you keep getting allergies and keep finding out you need a new water filter."

It's logical but sounds like way to much work and a little crazy.

It's not though. Not once you get things running.

@futurebird I don't think that's a fair analogy unless we reach the point that it costs you something to actually get air and water (beyond the relatively small amounts one spends on water right now) and they start injecting bad stuff into each.

Really I'm not sure there is a good analogy. This is sort of a thing that is kind of almost specific to tech. (I mean there are other things that can be similar-ish, but usually with a lot more complexity involved.)

@nazokiyoubinbou

It's an analogy about how it *sounds* to people who don't think of software as something they could change, or make, or demand that it be different.

@futurebird (I'll have to come back to this some time when I'm experiencing less incredible brainfog because I'm not quite getting it I guess.)

@nazokiyoubinbou

Sorry. Feel better. My metaphor is probably tortured in some way.

@futurebird How about UpScrolled?
https://mastodon.neometropolis.net/@gazanotice/115963647805668757

@Miro_Collas

It has "investors"

@futurebird @nazokiyoubinbou saw it out of context, thought it was perfect, then realized it wasn't about FOSS generally but social media specifically and i'm not 100% sure (but hardly <50% sure either)

@futurebird

From people I’ve talked to not on the Fediverse, the few who do try it out say it feels like a huge step backwards in terms of tech.

It’s like moving back to the era of Instant Messengers where you have to make effort to find the people you want to add to your friends list.

It’s like putting together an old-school paper-based address book for friends and family or other people you want to connect with.

Maybe older folks would understand the paradigm shifts needed to move to decentralized social media, but for anyone not familiar with how that all worked, it’s way too much effort for minimal gain since none of their social circles are moving off en mass to decentralized platforms.

Online communications used to be an extension of real-world relationships where you could continue in-person conversations after going home. Now, the platforms are optimized to try to completely supplant any need for the in-person aspect of communication and community. Since the platform becomes critical to maintaining relationships with friends and acquaintances, leaving those platforms feels like abandoning friends for little perceived benefit.

Just some opinions I’ve collected over the years from others.

@futurebird

I've been out of TikTok for a while. Where are they trampling to?

Out of curiosity. I don't plan to visit whatever corporate platform.

@springdiesel

"UpScrolled"

Which sounds like a better place than twitter, but it's not open, someone else could be in charge later... same old same old.

@futurebird

I'm kind of grateful it's not YouTube Shorts.

@springdiesel

An upside of youTube is it can be embedded in other sites. While tiktok and most new platforms can't they want to lock the users in.

I do expect youTube to try to eliminate this someday, but because they are old their algorithm is much less influential.