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> Zero toxicity ymmv. The mastodon.lol (which was a safe space instance) drama over Hogwarts Legacy [0] was a very good reminder that the platform doesn’t matt

> Zero toxicity ymmv. The mastodon.lol (which was a safe space instance) drama over Hogwarts Legacy [0] was a very good reminder that the platform doesn’t matter, its the people. 0, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34748195 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34748195

benatkin 4y ago
> the platform doesn’t matter, its the people. Neither mattered in that case. It was just a conundrum. Something a lot of people wanted to boycott had a AAA game built for it. I assume you're coming on the side of Nathan, but can't you see why people were going to have a strong reaction about posts about the game surfacing in the feed? It was a wedge issue. I'm not on either side, except I am against those who actually threw those insults at Nathan, which I'm pretty sure were a tiny % of the people who disagreed with him. I think if they had merely expressed frustration about the situation but not gone off the handle the same thing could have happened, albeit more slowly.
- starkparker 4y ago
  > I think if they had merely expressed frustration This is the fundamental fallacy of modern social media, that expressing frustration is action. Nathan wasn't going to change, and shouldn't have to. The advancement of decentralization presents an actual action disapproving users can take: leave for another instance, even by creating their own. Fragmentation of communities is a feature, not a bug.
- PixyMisa 4y ago
  The people who want to boycott Harry Potter are as toxic as it gets. They attacked Pikamee. If you don't know who Pikamee is, that's like stamping on puppies.
  - actualwitch 4y ago
    You have to remember that there are some people who just want to leverage the free pass to bully people. In this very topic a user was suggesting to masquerade as trans to be able to troll scot free, so you have to take it with a pinch of salt.
CyberDildonics 4y ago
which was a safe space instance What does that mean?
- _a9 4y ago
  safe space = echo chamber
  - berkes 4y ago
    I taste a lot of spite in this comment. It's not entirely wrong: a space with peers is a safe space. It's how e.g. recovery of PTST for veterans or rape-victims work too, I'm told. It's also why clubs have a door-policy. In this case, safe space means both "only likeminded", i.e. gatekeeping - door policy, as tech, policy and features to protect: good privacy defaults, permissioned access, privacy features etc.
    - ilyt 4y ago
      > In this case, safe space means both "only likeminded", i.e. gatekeeping - door policy, as tech, policy and features to protect: good privacy defaults, permissioned access, privacy features etc. So in case of anything politic and not say hobby circle - an echo chamber
      - SamoyedFurFluff 4y ago
        By this logic isn’t HN an echo chamber or safe space? It’s heavily moderated, to the point where only certain topics are even allowed to be posted (ie community is exposed). For example I can’t post my ballet gossip on hacker news, it would be considered off topic. I could argue hacker news is an echo chamber that doesnt allow for the ballet community relevant interests.
        ilyt 4y ago
        Well, there is line to be drawn between echo chamber and just keeping community on topic and it can be blurry one. For example I wouldn't consider rule "no politics talk" to be echo chamber on any social space but banning/shadowbanning one kind of leaning vs the other would certainly lean to that. Then again it is not as simple as some topics just produce people that cannot actually hold conversation about what they talk about and are more interested in throwing their piece and not trying to honestly discuss anything. The unkind extremisms can be banned without turning community into echo chamber even tho technically kicking the <person> having <view> would fall upon "banning one side of politics" Or on the other side, would you consider post discussing BDSM kinks of some ballet person to be on-topic and belonging to ballet community ? Or who they gave money for political stuff ? Would those comments improve that community or just be off-topic waste of page space ?
berkes 4y ago
I've been on the receiving end of a mob of angry (misguided?) fedizens too¹. It ain't pretty. Up to people showing up in private email with threats to show you they know who I am IRL. While overall the Fediverse is a kind place, it's the people that make or break that. And people are fallible. ¹ I'm working on a longer blog-post, but need some distance first, else it's just a reconing/grudge- or sounds like one.
koheripbal 4y ago
There is a pretty solid argument for age-restrictions in any instance - if it could be reliably yet anonymously enforced.

benatkin 4y ago

> the platform doesn’t matter, its the people. Neither mattered in that case. It was just a conundrum. Something a lot of people wanted to boycott had a AAA game built for it. I assume you're coming on the side of Nathan, but can't you see why people were going to have a strong reaction about posts about the game surfacing in the feed? It was a wedge issue. I'm not on either side, except I am against those who actually threw those insults at Nathan, which I'm pretty sure were a tiny % of the people who disagreed with him. I think if they had merely expressed frustration about the situation but not gone off the handle the same thing could have happened, albeit more slowly.

starkparker 4y ago
> I think if they had merely expressed frustration This is the fundamental fallacy of modern social media, that expressing frustration is action. Nathan wasn't going to change, and shouldn't have to. The advancement of decentralization presents an actual action disapproving users can take: leave for another instance, even by creating their own. Fragmentation of communities is a feature, not a bug.
PixyMisa 4y ago
The people who want to boycott Harry Potter are as toxic as it gets. They attacked Pikamee. If you don't know who Pikamee is, that's like stamping on puppies.
- actualwitch 4y ago
  You have to remember that there are some people who just want to leverage the free pass to bully people. In this very topic a user was suggesting to masquerade as trans to be able to troll scot free, so you have to take it with a pinch of salt.

CyberDildonics 4y ago

which was a safe space instance What does that mean?

_a9 4y ago
safe space = echo chamber
- berkes 4y ago
  I taste a lot of spite in this comment. It's not entirely wrong: a space with peers is a safe space. It's how e.g. recovery of PTST for veterans or rape-victims work too, I'm told. It's also why clubs have a door-policy. In this case, safe space means both "only likeminded", i.e. gatekeeping - door policy, as tech, policy and features to protect: good privacy defaults, permissioned access, privacy features etc.
  - ilyt 4y ago
    > In this case, safe space means both "only likeminded", i.e. gatekeeping - door policy, as tech, policy and features to protect: good privacy defaults, permissioned access, privacy features etc. So in case of anything politic and not say hobby circle - an echo chamber
    - SamoyedFurFluff 4y ago
      By this logic isn’t HN an echo chamber or safe space? It’s heavily moderated, to the point where only certain topics are even allowed to be posted (ie community is exposed). For example I can’t post my ballet gossip on hacker news, it would be considered off topic. I could argue hacker news is an echo chamber that doesnt allow for the ballet community relevant interests.
      - ilyt 4y ago
        Well, there is line to be drawn between echo chamber and just keeping community on topic and it can be blurry one. For example I wouldn't consider rule "no politics talk" to be echo chamber on any social space but banning/shadowbanning one kind of leaning vs the other would certainly lean to that. Then again it is not as simple as some topics just produce people that cannot actually hold conversation about what they talk about and are more interested in throwing their piece and not trying to honestly discuss anything. The unkind extremisms can be banned without turning community into echo chamber even tho technically kicking the <person> having <view> would fall upon "banning one side of politics" Or on the other side, would you consider post discussing BDSM kinks of some ballet person to be on-topic and belonging to ballet community ? Or who they gave money for political stuff ? Would those comments improve that community or just be off-topic waste of page space ?

berkes 4y ago

I've been on the receiving end of a mob of angry (misguided?) fedizens too¹. It ain't pretty. Up to people showing up in private email with threats to show you they know who I am IRL. While overall the Fediverse is a kind place, it's the people that make or break that. And people are fallible. ¹ I'm working on a longer blog-post, but need some distance first, else it's just a reconing/grudge- or sounds like one.

koheripbal 4y ago

There is a pretty solid argument for age-restrictions in any instance - if it could be reliably yet anonymously enforced.