17
[Discussion] A general approach toward companies embracing the Fediverse? (sh.itjust.works)
submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by kersploosh@sh.itjust.works to c/agora@sh.itjust.works
19 comments fedilink hide all child comments

While Threads' integration with Mastodon has caused a big stir on both Mastodon and Lemmy, it is not the only for-profit company moving in that direction. Flipboard has announced it is embracing ActivityPub and gradually phasing in Mastodon integration. I have read elsewhere that Flipboard already works with Pixelfed, too. This is another big corporate participant in the Fediverse: "Flipboard notched more than 145 million monthly users and is tied with Twitter as among the top five traffic referrers on the web" according to this CNET article.

From what I can find online, Tumblr is also still slowly working to bring its 135 million monthly active users to the Fediverse via ActivityPub integration. I can only assume more companies will connect to the Fediverse as it grows.

In general, how do we want to treat commercial entities here? Should the Fediverse in general (and Lemmy in particular) attempt to be a non-commercial walled garden? Should we federate with commercial entities and leave users to block instances? Or should we federate with some organizations but not others, and if so what is a criteria for making that distinction?

I am expecting spicy comments since this is such a divisive issue. Please be civil and respectful.

(Side note: Users can now individually block instances in Lemmy 0.19, though it is not equivalent to defederation. From the release notes: "any posts from communities which are hosted on that instance are hidden. However the block doesn’t affect users from the blocked instance, their posts and comments can still be seen normally in other communities.")

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] nyahlathotep@sh.itjust.works 18 points 1 year ago

This is a thorny problem. I think that most instances of for-profit companies intruding into this space would be detrimental to the "culture", for lack of a better word, of the fediverse in the long-term, if not it's independence and general well-being.

I can foresee the possibility of some being positive, but I definitely do not think that a huge, multinational, multi-billion-dollar-per-year-earning megacorporation like Meta, Microsoft, Apple, or Musk Industries, would be.

The way I see it, we have four options.

  1. Do nothing. Users will bring up discussions in the Agora that will trigger votes to defederate commercial entities organically.
  2. Open discussion threads on the Agora automatically whenever a commercial entity arises.
  3. Automatically defederate all commercial entities upon creation. Possibly with an automatic discussion thread as to whether we should reverse this on a case-by-case basis.
  4. Establish rules for what kind of commercial intervention would be allowed. IE, "Only companies which make less than $x per year" or something. Defederate the rest automatically.

There are probably other options, that's just what I came up with over the last few hours. Personally I don't really like the fourth one, it seems wishy-washy. I'd have to be convinced by a well-worded rule to vote for that. I'm partial to option 2, but wouldn't be opposed to 1 or 3.

[-] Gullible@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 year ago

I only just read your comment and realized you said the same thing that I did. I am big dumb for reiterating unnecessarily.

[-] ZOSTED@sh.itjust.works 2 points 11 months ago

Then we are dumb together.

[-] TigerCR1200@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 year ago

Option 2 or 3 make the most sense to me but option 1 is probably the best option and most hands off.

this post was submitted on 18 Dec 2023
17 points (100.0% liked)

The Agora

1605 readers
1 users here now

In the spirit of the Ancient Greek Agora, we invite you to join our vibrant community - a contemporary meeting place for the exchange of ideas, inspired by the practices of old. Just as the Agora served as the heart of public life in Ancient Athens, our platform is designed to be the epicenter of meaningful discussion and thought-provoking dialogue.

Here, you are encouraged to speak your mind, share your insights, and engage in stimulating discussions. This is your opportunity to shape and influence our collective journey, just like the free citizens of Athens who gathered at the Agora to make significant decisions that impacted their society.

You're not alone in your quest for knowledge and understanding. In this community, you'll find support from like-minded individuals who, like you, are eager to explore new perspectives, challenge their preconceptions, and grow intellectually.

Remember, every voice matters and your contribution can make a difference. We believe that through open dialogue, mutual respect, and a shared commitment to discovery, we can foster a community that embodies the democratic spirit of the Agora in our modern world.

Community guidelines
New posts should begin with one of the following:

Only moderators may create a [Vote] post.

Voting History & Results

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
TheDude@sh.itjust.works
imaqtpie@sh.itjust.works
Difficult_Bit_1339@sh.itjust.works
Seraph089@sh.itjust.works