Notices by switching.social (switchingsocial@mastodon.at), page 49

p.p.s. To see the latest version of a particular post, click on its datestamp to open its public page in a new window.

For example, if you click on the datestamp below the original post, it will take you to this page:

https://mastodon.at/@switchingsocial/102405314969981442

p.s. I know this particular tip is going to be obvious to many of you, but when I've told this to some people on here, they were very surprised, which is why I gave it its own post.

I think it's because people are so used to centralised sites where everything is synchronised, and it takes a bit of time to get used to federated networks instead.

Have you ever clicked on an interesting account on Mastodon but it was empty, with hardly any posts or followers?

It might be that the account is very active, but your instance just hasn't updated its data about it yet because it's on another instance.

To see the latest info about an account, click on its profile picture to open its public page. This is hosted on its home instance, so it's up to date.

For example, switching.social's public page is https://mastodon.at/@switchingsocial

#MastoTips #Mastodon

Have you ever clicked on an interesting account on Mastodon but it was empty, with hardly any posts or followers?

It might be that the account is very active, but your instance just hasn't updated its data about it yet because it's on another instance.

To see the latest info about an account, click on its profile picture to open its public page. This is hosted on its home instance, so it's up to date.

For example, switching.social's public page is https://mastodon.at/@switchingsocial

#MastoTips #Mastodon

@DashEquals @jamie @jaywink

Many people have good critical thinking and recognise con artists, but many don't. Many fall for them, I know some who have done so.

Whatever your message, the more people you reach, the more responses you get including the responses you want.

Even if a smaller percentage of a wider audience respond, the absolute number is much larger, and that's what matters in elections, primaries, fundraisers etc.

@DashEquals @jaywink

Their goal is to recruit more Nazis.

All they have to do is reach as many people as possible, because they know a certain percentage will respond to their propaganda.

Allowing them in WILL tear us apart, not just online but in the real world.

We know what happened last time people thought they could be appeased or debated.

@jamie @jaywink @DashEquals

Again, it's not just about what users find objectionable.

The problem is recruitment: if someone is swayed by neo-Nazi propaganda, they won't *want* to block it, they will go back for more.

And the consequences of that would be felt in the real world.

@DashEquals @jaywink

What *they* want you to think is that federation with them is an acceptable idea, because the marketplace of ideas will defeat them in the end.

But it won't.

Nazis don't operate on an intellectual level. They operate on an emotional level where they tell any lie to try to provoke an irrational response.

They try to get people to think their families are in danger if the "outsiders" aren't stopped (i.e. PoC, muslims, LGBTs etc).

Debating Nazis doesn't work.

@DashEquals @jaywink

No.

The goal of neo-Nazis is to reach as wide an audience as possible.

They hate bans or restrictions, because they know it hampers their ability to recruit. Why do you think they want to federate?

Allowing them to federate with us is EXACTLY what would tear us apart, as they start convincing a sizeable chunk of the fediverse that people of a different skin colour/religion/sexuality deserve to die.

@DashEquals @jaywink

We really aren't talking about policies. None of us are lawmakers, none of this is to do with any law or government.

@AugierLe42e @jaywink @DashEquals

With all due respect, you're missing the greatest danger here:

People recruited by neo-Nazis do not want to block Gab.

It's this recruitment that is the biggest danger of federating with neo-Nazi instances.

It is tempting to believe that non-Nazis would not fall for neo-Nazis lies and propaganda, but a large number do. And when people fall for such propaganda, the real life consequences are devastating for the innocent groups used as scapegoats.

@DashEquals @jaywink

You're taking this off topic.

We're not talking about government action or changes in the law here, we're talking about instance owners choosing whether to defederate.

Giving Neo-Nazis an audience cause more harm than denying them an audience.

After the Second World War, the far right was practically invisible because no TV or radio station or newspaper would touch them due to their well-deserved pariah status.

@AugierLe42e @jaywink @DashEquals

It's not just about the users though, is it?

If Gab recruits more neo-Nazis through federation, that makes life more dangerous in real life for vulnerable groups.

We cannot look at this as just a set of individuals online choosing what to read. We have to look at the effect of neo-Nazi recruitment on the real life world.

I've seen this happen in the real world, intelligent balanced people turn into racist extremists, after being recruited online.

@jaywink @DashEquals

If they federate with Gab, they are expanding Gab's audience and reach.

I know people want to opt out of this debate, but this isn't a situation with any neutral option.

@jaywink @DashEquals

Preventing the spread of neo-Nazism is more important than encouraging federated social networks.

Hopefully we can do both these things, but we cannot do both if neo-Nazis are allowed to federate freely.

@jaywink @DashEquals

There is no neutral position here. If you are a Fediverse instance owner, your choice is to either shrink or widen Gab's audience.

If you allow federation with Gab, you widen Gab's audience, you make it easier for them to recruit more neo-Nazis, and make it harder to contain them on a single instance.

The danger people are worried about is to vulnerable groups in the real world: actual physical danger.

@DashEquals @jaywink

It's not about whether *they* listen, it's about whether all the other people reading their threads listen.

The more Gab gets to federate, the bigger the audience it reaches, and the more people it can recruit to its cause.

Anything you do to give neo-Nazis visibility helps their cause, regardless of what you might think of them.

@DashEquals @jaywink

Simply allowing Nazis into debates normalises them, makes them a respectable alternative. People who would never have considered them suddenly start to listen to what they have to say.

Allowing neo-Nazis airtime gives them victory.

The concept of the "marketplace of ideas" is misplaced in this case, because there is no consistent idea to be debated in Nazism, only an abstract hatred of "the other."

@DashEquals @jaywink

Nazis aren't interested in debate, they are interested in dogwhistling the most awful bigotry.

The most politically successful far right candidates of recent years aren't particularly skilful rhetorically or intellectually.

That's because Nazis don't see debates as debates, they see them as an advertising opportunities. All they have to do is say to potential voters: "we're on your side, we hate the foreigners too", and the debate becomes an irrelevant sideshow.