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That was pretty much the world before mass social media. Most forums were human moderated and you can be banned for just being a jerk. Moderators are most of th
by enaaem 4y ago
That was pretty much the world before mass social media. Most forums were human moderated and you can be banned for just being a jerk. Moderators are most of the time pretty good at interpreting nuance, tone and intention.
- brabel 4y agoWho are these magical people who are fair and just, and how do you choose them? How come do they choose to do this completely free of charge? Do you pay for your Mastodon instance membership? If not, why is someone willing to go through the trouble of doing this for free for complete strangers? How the strangers choose the right moderators for them, even though they are not paying for any of this? I don't know, but something doesn't make any sense to me with Mastodon and similar decentralized services.
- TeMPOraL 4y agoExcept, before social media, forums were focused and independent, and the Internet itself was a nerdy hobby. Getting banned from a discussion board might have hurt in some cases, but wasn't really that big of a deal. Today, social media are all-encompassing, and Internet is now a critical part of normal life. Getting banned from one modern discussion board can easily get you banned from every other one too, and/or the fallout may impact "offline" aspects of your life. At best, it'll make a bunch if things inconvenient. At worst, it may destroy your relationships, your career, and push you into poverty. Or, in other words: getting banned from a group in the 1990s or early 2000s was like getting a formal reprimand in your record at school. Today, it's starting to look more like getting a criminal record in the police database.