Friendica Social Network (Leipzig)

There is no algorithm on here. You are free to like and share and interact with whatever you want, it won't affect what appears in your timeline.

The only things in your timeline are all the posts from all the accounts and hashtags and groups you've followed. That's it, it's as simple as that. You control your timeline, there isn't any content being pushed at you or hidden from you or promoted by anyone.

Lots more info and questions answered about this at https://fedi.tips/does-mastodon-and-the-fediverse-use-algorithms-does-it-start-pushing-stuff-at-me-based-on-my-interactions

#FediTips

Does Mastodon and the Fediverse use algorithms? Does it push stuff at me based on my interactions? | Fedi.Tips – An Unofficial Guide to Mastodon and the Fediverse

An unofficial guide to using Mastodon and the Fediverse

^fedi.tips

#feditips

Hugs4friends ♾🇺🇦 🇵🇸😷 hat dies geteilt

Cassandra 2 Wochen her •

A nice li’l explainer, @jonnyarsenic

@jonnyarsenic

Célian Godefroid 2 Wochen her •

Not sure I totally agree with this : there ARE algorithms on Mastodon, it can't be otherwise. Feeds are sorted chronologically -- that's algorithm. Trends show messages based on popularity, interactions -- again, algorithms do that. But the difference is on the purpose of these algorithms : they are open source, transparent on how they work, and don't have a malicious purpose. It's human-centered algorithms.

@renchap explained it here (in French, 1h14'27") : https://video.davduf.net/w/dg7QDT5aqA2utQksTT9e3B?start=1h14m27s

Mastodon, le tueur de Twitter? avec Claire Girka & Renaud Chaput

Depuis l’eXode de Twitter, Mastodon voit arriver une nouvelle vague de migration. Comment ça marche? D’où ça vient? Qui gère? Qui modère? En quoi un système totalement décentralisé renoue avec les ...

^{Au Poste}

@renchap

Fedi.Tips 2 Wochen her •

I address this in the article, tl:dr - that's not what most people mean by the word "algorithm".

Most people who say "algorithm" mean the mysterious black box code that messes up people's timelines without them asking it to. Whatever the technical definition, this is what most people mean by the word "algorithm", especially the non-technical audience I am trying to reach with this account.

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Rin/Mari Clarity 2 Wochen her •

"Explore" is also "algorithm"

Optional, but it is "algorithmic" nonetheless

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Fedi.Tips 2 Wochen her •

The Explore section is a list of the most shared recent posts, it's not quite the same thing as someone's home timeline being messed up because they liked the "wrong" thing.

This thread is mainly aimed at non-technical people who are too scared to like or share something in case it changes what they see in their timelines. This is what happens on many algo-driven commercial social networks now, and I'm trying to reassure people it doesn't happen on the Fediverse 🙂

Katception $katnye10 2 Wochen her •

then why do you show up on my timeline when I don’t follow you?.. there’s an algorithm here, there’s an algorithm on all social media. It’s how it works and runs.. stop spreading misinformation

Fedi.Tips 2 Wochen her •

Either you're following the hashtag #FediTips or someone you follow shared my post. There is no other way I can end up in your timeline.

#feditips

Alm 2 Wochen her •

yes, you are right and I do like Mastodon because this is exactly how it works. However, one could say that this actually _is_ an algorithm — an easy, transparent, and understandable algorithm, right?

Fedi.Tips 2 Wochen her •

I address this in the article, tl:dr - most people who use the word "algorithm" mean the mysterious black box code which messes up their timelines in unpredictable and unwanted ways.

My account and site is mainly aimed at a general non-technical audience, so I'm using vocabulary in a non-technical way.

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Fedi.Tips 2 Wochen her •

p.s. Just to clarify, this post is mainly aimed at people who are nervous of liking or sharing the wrong thing in case it messes up what is served to them on their timeline (which is what happens on Twitter, Facebook etc).

I am trying to reassure them that this DOESN'T happen on the Fediverse.

I'm not trying to change the technical defintion of "algorithm", I'm just using that word in the sense that most non-technical people use it, to mean annoying opaque code that messes with timelines 🙂

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I Thought I Saw A 2 :donor: 2 Wochen her •

The lack of algorithm is awesome. Mastodon is the first social media I ever used because I didn't want to see promoted crap I didn't care about. Now I just see what I am interested in.

Halibut 🐟 2 Wochen her •

It's pretty crazy that showing what you subscribed too, no more, no less, is now a feature that needs to be explained.

Thank you doing it, and helping people joining the fediverse.

Djembro 2 Wochen her •

I tell folks, “You are your own algorithm. What you follow is what you see — no more, no less.”

Antoine D. :facil: 1 Woche her •

I think it would be better to say "There's no opaque or hidden algorithm on Mastodon and the Fediverse". Non-technical people would understand and the sentence would at the same time be more accurate.

Fedi.Tips 1 Woche her •

At least in the English-speaking non-technical world, "algorithm" now means opaque code which messes with social media timelines in unwanted ways for commercial and manipulative purposes.

This is pretty much the only context in which non-technical people use the word, at least in English. A common phrase is "escape the algorithm" etc.

When trying to reach a mass non-technical audience, IMHO it's more effective to just use the word in the sense the audience uses it.

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Antoine D. :facil: 1 Woche her •

Is it really less effective if I say "escape the opaque algorithm"?

Fedi.Tips 1 Woche her •

In my judgement it would be less effective, but that's a personal assessment.

Totally understand and respect it if people disagree though.

iideacocarl 2 Wochen her •

As a pleasant side effect, generally when I open Mastodon, it is on whatever I last viewed. I like that.

Victor Forberger 2 Wochen her •

#Fediverse: You are your own #algorithm.

#fediverse #algorithm

Visa Uotila 2 Wochen her •

This is one of the reasons I’d like to see public service departments post more on Mastodon. They argue that they need to be where the audience is.

But do they consider that on platforms like Facebook or Instagram their posts might simply not show up? Does it matter that the audience is there if you can’t reach them?

It’s not problematic only for the institutions but the society as a whole.

Androcat 2 Wochen her •

The argument that they should ONLY be where some of the audience is, is silly anyway.

Right now they are choosing to only be on the nazi platforms, for absolutely no reason.

They must diversify, because their responsibility is Disaster Preparedness, and you always go with "all the channels" for disasters, because you never know which one might be taken out by the disaster... and you want to reach 100% of the people, ideally.

Fedi.Tips 2 Wochen her •

Government departments & public services should probably also have to provide RSS (or similar) feeds that can be easily fed into any internet platform. That would futureproof their ability to provide info no matter what happens in the online world, and give citizens freedom to choose any online social platform.

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Visa Uotila 2 Wochen her •

That's a good point. I had to check and my hometown's website has had an RSS feed set up for their front page news for over 20 years.

It's a technology I often forget exists.

Croutons for breakfast 🌰 2 Wochen her •

> there isn't any content being ... hidden from you

Not true.
I have accounts on different instances and they don't offer me the exact same fediverse.
That's fine. And I understand why. It's just confusing for new folks.

Fedi.Tips 2 Wochen her •

That's usually because different instances notice different sets of accounts, depending on whether their members have followed them etc. They're not hiding something from you, they just haven't noticed it. 🙂

The exception would be if an instance blocks another instance, but that's more of a moderation thing than an algorithm type thing?

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Croutons for breakfast 🌰 2 Wochen her •

I agree.
It just gets interesting when I try to describe that to someone who asks about mastodon.
I guess I should just lean into the 'no algorithms' to not scare them off.

Tim Richards 2 Wochen her •

Let it always be so. I hate meddling algorithms.

Deep Breath; Start Again 2 Wochen her •

@Chrisblueeyes FYI. Good info for you!

@Chrisblueeyes

Paul Shanfield 2 Wochen her •

I accept that chronological order does not count as an "algorithm" but my feed is clearly not in chronological order. (The ages of posts are clearly displayed.)

Octavia con Amore :pink_moon_and_stars: 2 Wochen her •

the only things out of post-chronological order is going to be boosts by people you follow, and the timing of the boost is what is used when placing it chronologically in your feed

Fedi.Tips 2 Wochen her •

Yeah, boosts will appear at the moment they are boosted rather than when they were originally written. So... it's chronological from the point of view of the accounts you are following, if that makes sense 🙂

Non-boosted posts should be appearing in chronological order, are they not doing that on your timeline? (By the way, sometimes if a server has technical problems this can happen as it gets behind on timelines.)

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