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Isnt your proposal basically Reddit? Subreddits are nodes that require you to be close to them to see whats going on (via joining the sub), with a public square

Isnt your proposal basically Reddit? Subreddits are nodes that require you to be close to them to see whats going on (via joining the sub), with a public square, /r/popular, artificially built from the top posts on those nodes. For some definition of "top".

bambax 4y ago
True, but the significant difference is that you can belong to any number of subreddits at the same time, and they're organized by topic. In my idea the place itself would be neutral/non-significant, and you could only be in one place at a time, like IRL.
raunak 4y ago
I would say it’s also a mix of nextdoor - both of which are still just as toxic. Tempted to say the problem is just the internet breeding toxicity in general. Maybe we could all do better with less internet and more nature time
- fragmede 4y ago
  Nextdoor is very indicative of where you live. There are often time joyous earnest "here's a pretty picture of a bird" posts, and if you live somewhere nice, typically rural, there's not even the usual dreck.
  - PaulLeiby 4y ago
    > ... somewhere nice, "Typically rural"? It'd be interesting to discuss the evidence for this greater rural niceness, if known. We should be wary of rural mythology, in part because the rural lifestyle is non-representative (in the US and globally), declining, and unsustainable (does not scale, we can't all do it). To respond to my own challenge, and making no assertions of causality, there are countervailing bits of evidence, based on correlations. The correlation between Trump support and rurality is strong and statistically undeniable. Is this group inherently "nicer" in person or on the internet? A second random but disturbing example is the "significantly higher risk of femicide and non-domestic homicide victimization in rural counties compared to non-rural counties." https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5718&context=etd https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5...
taylodl 4y ago
Interesting. My use of Twitter has waned over the years while my use of Reddit has increased...I guess I'm voting with my time that Reddit is the better model.
- TremendousJudge 4y ago
  I'm 100% positive that reddit is the better model in general -- at least with the old UI that didn't have all the dark patters to force you to stay on. I still quit it over a year ago because I noticed I was very addicted to it.
nonameiguess 4y ago
It's the original design of Facebook. You had to join based on real-world membership in a pre-existing network, in this case a university. You only got to interact with people from your university. There's something to be said for this. Schools have their problems. Plenty of drama, bullying, harassment, marginalization, extremism. But when it's limited to a school network, it doesn't swing national sentiment, aid and abet genocides, provide an outlet for foreign adversaries to subvert race relations in your country. But it does mean ad campaigns can't have global reach.
- janalsncm 4y ago
  One other benefit of tying online groups to offline groups is that they are able to moderate themselves. Schools aren’t perfect but they can deal with cyber bullying if all parties are students at that school.

bambax 4y ago

True, but the significant difference is that you can belong to any number of subreddits at the same time, and they're organized by topic. In my idea the place itself would be neutral/non-significant, and you could only be in one place at a time, like IRL.

raunak 4y ago

I would say it’s also a mix of nextdoor - both of which are still just as toxic. Tempted to say the problem is just the internet breeding toxicity in general. Maybe we could all do better with less internet and more nature time

fragmede 4y ago
Nextdoor is very indicative of where you live. There are often time joyous earnest "here's a pretty picture of a bird" posts, and if you live somewhere nice, typically rural, there's not even the usual dreck.
- PaulLeiby 4y ago
  > ... somewhere nice, "Typically rural"? It'd be interesting to discuss the evidence for this greater rural niceness, if known. We should be wary of rural mythology, in part because the rural lifestyle is non-representative (in the US and globally), declining, and unsustainable (does not scale, we can't all do it). To respond to my own challenge, and making no assertions of causality, there are countervailing bits of evidence, based on correlations. The correlation between Trump support and rurality is strong and statistically undeniable. Is this group inherently "nicer" in person or on the internet? A second random but disturbing example is the "significantly higher risk of femicide and non-domestic homicide victimization in rural counties compared to non-rural counties." https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5718&context=etd https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5...

taylodl 4y ago

Interesting. My use of Twitter has waned over the years while my use of Reddit has increased...I guess I'm voting with my time that Reddit is the better model.

TremendousJudge 4y ago
I'm 100% positive that reddit is the better model in general -- at least with the old UI that didn't have all the dark patters to force you to stay on. I still quit it over a year ago because I noticed I was very addicted to it.

nonameiguess 4y ago

It's the original design of Facebook. You had to join based on real-world membership in a pre-existing network, in this case a university. You only got to interact with people from your university. There's something to be said for this. Schools have their problems. Plenty of drama, bullying, harassment, marginalization, extremism. But when it's limited to a school network, it doesn't swing national sentiment, aid and abet genocides, provide an outlet for foreign adversaries to subvert race relations in your country. But it does mean ad campaigns can't have global reach.

janalsncm 4y ago
One other benefit of tying online groups to offline groups is that they are able to moderate themselves. Schools aren’t perfect but they can deal with cyber bullying if all parties are students at that school.