Times are changing. Again.
Fascism and the Federated Response
With the rise of fascism, hate-mongering, and social-media-owning billionaires bowing to the fascists, I’m joining the Federated socials. What does that mean? You may ask. I’m still learning.
The system used by the federated networks I’m interested in is called ActivityPub. I don’t claim to know the details, but it seems to be a protocol that can be used for a variety of connections to other instances in the “federation”.
In a nutshell, federated social networks are attractive (and potentially limited) because they are
- distributed (each instance within the federation is its own entity)
- non-commercial (no ads and no allegiance to advertisers)
- subject to the moderators and administrators of the specific instance
The Rise of Mastodon
When other social networks started to spout hate without gate-keepers, Mastodon grew. Though many were thrown off by the need to “choose a server (instance)”, other folk like me found it refreshing.
We know there are Nazi and other hate-filled instances in the Mastodon federation. But, hopefully, the good can continue to hold the day there. On Mastodon, my primary handle is @muz4now@mastodon.world.
The Rise of the Visual
Mastodon has capabilities available for posting videos and photos. But there are also sites dedicated to these.
I’ve recently joined PixelFed. This is a federated photo-sharing platform. (Think: Pinterest or Instagram but without the ads.) My initial choice for this network is on the main instance as @muz4now@pixelfed.social. Unfortunately, PIXELFED turned out to be a user-abandoning pile of junk.
For videos, there are a few different ActivityPub networks. (Think: Vimeo or YouTube without the corporate sponsors.) I chose PeerTube and the always cool folk at BassPistol instance. Though the platform is new to me, I’m really appreciating it. Find me as @muz4now@v.basspistol.org.
Federated Muz4Now
This site is also federated. There’s a cool ActivityPub plugin for many websites including WordPress. So, you can join, too!
Thanks for checking this out. If you are on one of these federated websites, you may connect to me here as @muz4now@muz4now.com.
Best wishes finding your home on the interwebs. Say “hello” when you find me!
The main blog image is a photo by derRenner.
Discover more from Stan Stewart - @muz4now
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
This is interesting Stan. I never heard of this platform. No matter what, continue to hold on to your convictions and continue to bring light to whatever world you may touch!
Kym,
I appreciate your response. Hopefully, you can see why I appreciate these platforms as non-commercial and “unowned” networks. We live in strange times and the broligarchy has demonstrated that they think money can buy them anything. I don’t want to be part of that.
Keep being you,
Stan
AMEN Stan. You’re so very welcome and I agree with you. We are indeed living in some strange times. Sooner or later my friend, something is going to have to give. That you can depend on. Enjoy the rest of your week my friend.