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Google Plus is Shutting Down in August
By shutting Google plus in August 2019 Google have shut down one of my favourite social networks. From the start I have said that it reminded me of Jaiku, an excellent, european alternative to Jaiku that never reached critical mass and so was sold to Google, which then shut it down and eventually released Google+
Google+ is an excellent social network because it allows photographers and conversationalists to converse without the hype, without the cult of personality and without sensationalism. In other words it allows people to have conversations that increase their understanding and awareness of current affairs.
With the demise of Google+ we will lose this sea of tranquility and be reduced to go to miasmic networks such as Twitter and Facebook where the cult of personality, sensationalism and doctored newsfeeds prevent us from seeing what the people we want to keep in touch with are posting.
People argue that we could shift to Mewe, that we could shift to
That’s where WordPress comes in. WordPress is social media. People with a lot to say write blog posts that are hundreds of words long, with images, videos included, maps and sometimes graphs. Blogging is about connecting people confident with how they spend their time online.
Facebook and Twitter are social networks used by normal people who think they are wasting their time and lives by socialising in a virtual environment. Blogging communities are a place where people are committed to their desire to communicate in long form.
I am using the explore tab on WordPress’s app and commenting on posts. I am reverting to blogging. I like forcing myself to write long form posts, of developing my writing skills and my creative abilities.
I’m going to play with Flixwagon
Because three or four, I’ve lost track of how many, live streaming applications for the phone aren’t enough i’ve started to play with flixwagon as well. So far it’s taking some getting used to but I hope that by tomorrow I’ll have learned more. It’s still an alpha and only works with select phones.
I could test it from here and now but it’s night time and there are more interesting places from which to play.
The idea that people expose their lives for everyone to read on sites like Flickr, blogger, and many others is a strange one. How often have you seen people partying with their friends yet not knowing a single one of them? It’s a voyeur’s paradise at the moment.
I was listening to Net a night with Leo Laporte and Amber McArthur speaking with the creator of blogger, Odeo, and Twitter. Le was talking about how addictive it is and how it’s a mini-blog.
It also reminds me of the Facebook status bar.
That’s because twitter is about short messages. The messages may originate as easily from a mobile phone as Instant Messenger or the web interface. There are several hundred people who are saying what they’re up to at that moment in time. Examples are “I’m in the queue, third person to the left or “I’m doing housework” and “just got up and it’s a beautiful day.
They’re short, instants in time which individuals decide to share.
Individuals are not the only ones using this technology. I’ve noticed that google news, BBC world service, and news, CNN, and others are using twitter to share news on upcoming events and current affairs. It’s an interesting way of keeping informed on current goings-on around the world.
Due to the nature of the communications, the messages are usually short, to the point, and with Tiny URL. This is because a normal URL would take up all the characters.
Another naming convention is the @name concept. When you’re sending a message to a particular friend and you want them to know that it’s to them that it’s addressed @name seems to work.
I’ve only been trying it for a little over twelve hours so far though
Threads and the Fediverse
A few weeks ago I was completely opposed to Threads being connected and accepted by the Fediverse because I hated the idea of 100 million users flooding a social network with 10 million users. Now that threads has imploded I feel differently.
Now that Threads is the same size as the Frediverse, or at least closer to being the same size, the impact of the two joining up would be diminished. Now is the time when, theoretically, the impact of Threads and the Fediverse merging would be less dramatic.
Still Unwanted
[caption id="attachment_10494" align="alignnone" width="300"] A human looking a Threads, with the Fediverse visible behind.[/caption]Although the Fediverse and Threads could merge, and be on equal footing, for now, I still don’t want it. Facebook users have a different social media ethic than the Fediverse does. I don’t want to see posts by utilitarians, rather than human beings. I want human connections, not marketers.
The Algorithm
[caption id="attachment_10492" align="alignnone" width="300"] Threads and the Fediverse where the Fediverse is the milky way[/caption]Algorithms use machine learning to read posts, assess them, and decide how to share them. The Fediverse is about sharing, and re-sharing, in chronological order. How could Threads read toots, notes, articles and more, without breaching privacy rules?
For now the Fediverse behaves according to who we follow, and what the people we follow share. With algorithms machine learning would make those decisions, destroying the chronological order of things
The question is “how can Facebook adapt to be compatible with the Fediverse?”. In theory it can’t because we’re talking about two different philosophies. One where chronology and follows are king, and the other where algorithms dictate what people see, feel and buy.
A Different Age
[caption id="attachment_10495" align="alignnone" width="300"] A hand holding threads with the Fediverse behind it[/caption]Although I really liked the old Twitter, and social media landscape, when it was unprofitable, that reality has vanished and now we are in the age of Influencers, clickbait, social media as addiction, and more. That’s why the thing that fascinates me the most now, is using WordPress and ClassicPress to play with the Fediverse. When they play nicely together I will be able to blog, and converse from my blog posts, without spending too much time in the Fediverse.
And Finally
Threads Posts get more likes for brands than on Twitter which illustrates why Threads is not interesting for human beings. Social media, for me, is about sharing and caring, rather than utilitarian apathy.
To summarise: Threads is a network for brands to market to people, whilst the Fedivere exists for people to converse, share, and collaborate. If the utilitarianism of Threads comes to the Fediverse, then the Fediverse will lose some of its allure.
Headlines and muted news sources
I have started to mute news sources that provide us with headlines that tell us how to feel rather than give us information about the content of the article. On Facebook the alternative would be to unfollow people I have met in person, friends. I prefer to mute news sources and get updates from friends.
We will see when social media “experts” and headline writers go back to writing headlines that tell us about the content of articles.