RE: https://cosocial.ca/@timbray/116891415911514354

You know what? Whenever people may ask me why I heart #Mastodon big time and why I'm no longer interested in traditional enshittified #SocialMedia tools, I'm going to start sharing this fabulous blog post by @timbray that pretty much nails it, as far as I am concerned.

In fact, for those folks who were using Twitter circa 2006 to 2010 it's a lovely trip down the memory lane of what #Web20 promised back then 👌🏻😎

#SovereignByDesign #Fediverse #FuckTheAlgorithm #Enshittification

muddle 🥣 boosted

Tim Bray 🇨🇦 » 🌐 2026-07-09
@timbray@cosocial.ca

I frequently find myself explaining, often to people I don’t know, why it is that my online home is on #Mastodon, why I’m putting time and effort into building and running an instance, and why those are the best choices.

So here’s my latest effort to pull all the arguments I use together in a coherent sequence: https://www.tbray.org/ongoing/When/202x/2026/07/05/Choose-Mastodon

My people came from Vilna. I have zero desire to go visit Europe. Its just one giant Jewish graveyard in my mind.

"A rare "antisemitic incident in #Lithuania: A local #blogger and #socialmedia activist was arrested after being filmed spitting at three #Israeli #rabbis visiting #Vilnius and urging others to do the same.

According to #Lithuanian authorities, the suspect, #GintarasLiutkevičius, posted a video on social media showing him approaching the three #Jews, who were wearing traditional religious clothing, spitting toward them and encouraging others to follow his example.

“I heard you love to spit on #Christians ... what if I spit on you?” he is heard saying in the video. “You need to go home. This is not your home. This is Lithuania — go home.”

https://www.ynetnews.com/jewish-world/article/rjjjgezefe?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub

@thenewoil Thinking that Meta would choose to keep users thoughts/emotions read only would be naive.

If their AI's can access and read users emotions, they can use their outputs to influence emotions, as Meta's much cruder 2012 study showed.

That pales in comparison to what would be possible now.

The importance of transparency in what the algorithms show you and why has never been more important.

#Meta #Privacy #SocialMedia #Influence

Meta has removed a controversial AI feature from Instagram after users pushed back. The feature allowed people to create AI-generated images using public profile pictures, sparking privacy concerns. The company acted following criticism from privacy campaigners. https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/10/meta-removes-controversial-ai-feature-on-instagram-after-backlash/ #Media #SocialMedia #AI

When We Create a Hostile Offline Environment for Teens, They Take Refuge Online

One of the things people talk about with age verification is that teens are sucked in and need to get off. That's not what's happening.

https://www.freezenet.ca/when-we-create-a-hostile-offline-environment-for-teens-they-take-refuge-online/

#Censorship #Editorial #News #ChatRoom #Internet #kids #social #SocialMedia #teens

The EU is coming after META for the addictive design behind Facebook and Instagram.
Things like "highly personalized recommendations, autoplay and infinite scroll," which "fuel the user's urge to keep scrolling and shift the brain into ‘autopilot mode,' contributing to unhealthy habits and compulsive use,"...

https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-orders-instagram-facebook-meta-change-addictive-design/

#EU #META #SocialMedia #AddictiveDesign #Algorithms #EuropeanUnion

Instagram and Facebook will likely require a redesign after EU rules they’re "addictive."

@theverge reports: https://flip.it/YyLaHu

#Meta #EU #SocialMedia

Holy moly, I had occasion to look at my old Twitter feed today (I will never willingly call it X), and it's deader than a doornail. There are still people posting there, but the frequency is less than my Fediverse feed with way more users.

#SocialMedia #Fediverse #Twitter

The complete dismantling of Meta would offer unambiguous, far reaching benefits for all of humanity.

#Meta #MarkZuckerberg #SocialMedia #BillionairesAreParasites #CorporateParasites

Alt...

New York Post @nypost - Jul 7 Meta says it's facing $1.4T in penalties in teen mental health case - a sum equal to tech giant's valuation trib.al/ErF1SrX Photo of Mark Zuckerberg. Medium shot of him standing in what seems to be a hallway. Behind him are people with cameras taking pictures.

Meta's push for artificial intelligence dominance comes with a different kind of cost as layoffs, employee surveillance and departures fuel reports of a heated internal climate. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/07/02/tech/fear-anger-meta-ai/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #tech #markzuckerberg #meta #facebook #instagram #whatsapp #socialmedia #privacy #personaldata #ai #jobs

Meta has patented an AI device that tracks users emotions by constantly recording voice and surroundings through a wearable. The system analyses laughter, sighs and tone to determine mood, even monitoring medication intake. Privacy campaigners called it a recipe for disaster. https://www.404media.co/meta-patents-ai-device-that-tracks-your-emotions-watches-you-take-your-meds/ #Media #SocialMedia #AI

Typeface limits new ad resizing tool to waitlist as demand builds: The new Ad Agent resizing tool is capped by waitlist for now, while Video Agent adds scene-level editing and drops its generated-video length limit entirely. https://ppc.land/typeface-limits-new-ad-resizing-tool-to-waitlist-as-demand-builds/ #Marketing #Advertising #DigitalMarketing #AdTech #SocialMedia

Meta is facing criticism over its Muse Image AI tool, which lets users generate pictures from public Instagram profile pics. Privacy campaigners have called it a recipe for disaster, warning of non-consensual AI-altered images. Users can opt out through a separate setting. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp9lee19y1yo #Media #SocialMedia #AI

Ars Technica: Musk’s X poses “serious risk to Americans’ privacy,” advocates warn FTC. “Ahead of a July 2 deadline to submit public comments, advocates are warning the Federal Trade Commission that it must keep close watch over Elon Musk’s X and firmly reject a recent bid to end the agency’s ongoing audits of the platform’s data handling.”

@mspro

Chef von Wikipedia (ein traditioneller Frauenjob) ist Bernadette Meehan, zuvor Foreign Service Officer, Botschafterin, line officer für Außenministerin Clinton, Mitglied des National Security Council NSC, chief international officer der Obama Foundation, heute mit der Aufgabe die Mitmachenden von Wikipedia vor staatlicher und nichtstaatlicher Verfolgung zu beschützen.

@wikipedia @wikimediaDE @magnusmanske @wikimediafoundation @Data_is

#predictionMarket #wikipedia #wikimedia #internet #regression #GLAM #pfadgelegenheit #tendenz #besserwisser #besserwisserei #valueCreation #zeitalterDesEnzyklopädismus #Enzyklopädie #socialMedia #Grokipedia

"Learning platform #ShoutOut, designed to teach #students how to recognize and respond to #Holocaust denial and #antisemitism on #socialmedia, has officially launched in #Germany, the University of #DuisburgEssen (UDE) announced.

The new digital program was presented at the Conference on #Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (#ClaimsConference) in #Berlin on June 26.

ShoutOut mainly offers a 15-minute immersive virtual game in which players roleplay as trainees in a resistance movement and learn how to identify and deconstruct #antisemitic patterns and content, while being educated on how it spreads online."

https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-901795

"Thirty-three states have banded together to sue Meta, alleging that the company was exploiting its young users on Instagram and Facebook for profit, including by collecting data from children without parental consent."

The damages could be as high as $1.4 trillion, nearly the same as Meta's market capitalization at just above $1.5 trillion.

https://gizmodo.com/metas-teen-safety-case-just-became-a-1-4-trillion-existential-threat-2000782306

Via https://flipboard.com/@thenewsdesk/technology-shjum1jiz/-/a-CHwwNHlfS-GTffJivjlDbA%3Aa%3A43591897-%2F0

#news #technology #TechNews #meta #facebook #instagram #SocialMedia

WOW decentralized and ENCRYPTED social media over #chatmail this is such an epic prototype!

the fun part is that by using chatmail:

- DMs are already end-to-end encrypted
- your identity is your encryption key and doesn't depend on a single home server
- your profile is basically uncensorable

since you need to give people your invite link it is kind of like private social network

https://github.com/lambadalambda/deltanet/

#ArcaneChat #DeltaChat #chatmail #socialmedia #fediverse #mastodon #encryption #e2ee

"The extremely obvious truth (which is barely even veiled) is that at least most of these hustlebros are faking it." —Jason Koebler for 404 Media

https://www.404media.co/how-i-bought-a-private-jet-by-selling-10-subscriptions-to-404-media/?src=longreads

#longreads #hustle #scam #socialmedia #reading #writing

Two More Studies Show that Australia’s Age Verification Laws Have Failed

Research in one analysis show that 7 in 10 teens still have accounts on Facebook. Another shows 60% are still on social media.

https://www.freezenet.ca/two-more-studies-show-that-australias-age-verification-laws-have-failed/

#Censorship #News #AgeVerification #Australia #fail #research #SocialMedia #study

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy and DCMS have binned off the cesspit formally known as Twitter 🚮

We can tackle the concentrated power of social media giants by backing federated platforms like BlueSky and Mastodon.

UK politicians and government bodies should join, so people aren’t forced to use X or Meta to get updates.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyrx1ee2r4o

#x #socialmedia #mastodon #fediverse #ukpolitics #lisanandy #ukpol

Massachusetts' Senate bill S.3164 tries to protect kids online without the privacy tradeoff. Instead of forcing everyone to upload a government ID to verify their age, it turns off addictive, surveillance-driven features like infinite scroll by default.

#privacy #ageverification #socialmedia #digitalrights #indigoprivacy

Massachusetts' Senate bill S.3164 tries to protect kids online without the privacy tradeoff. Instead of forcing everyone to upload a government ID to verify their age, it turns off addictive, surveillance-driven features like infinite scroll by default.

#privacy #ageverification #socialmedia #digitalrights #indigoprivacy

Apple's Hide My Email feature contains a vulnerability that exposes users' real email addresses, despite being reported to Apple over a year ago. Users relying on the feature for privacy may be at risk. https://www.404media.co/apple-hide-my-email-vulnerability-reveals-peoples-real-email-addresses/ #Media #SocialMedia #Privacy

What do your opinions of Ronaldo and Messi say about your politics? Nieman Lab interviewed Saifuddin Ahmed, lead author of a study that used the two star footballers to look at how social media shapes preferences.

https://flip.it/H..mNp

#SocialMedia #Algorithms #Soccer

Wiener demonstrates my opinion that we should retreat from participation in the public sphere. Let them "win."

"If you are #Jewish, you now know that your continued presence in #progressive spaces is contingent on a permission that can be revoked at any moment by whoever has the largest crowd and the loudest voice. The only guaranteed safe move is to stay home.

The lesson was proof of concept: this is what works. A coordinated mob, a phone camera, and the willingness to make physical contact is all it takes to drive a Jewish #electedofficial out of a public space at dusk. The technology of exclusion is now documented, tested, and available for replication.

Teaching #exemplaryintimidation means you don’t need to threaten every #Jew in #SanFrancisco. You just need to target the most visible #gay Jewish elected official in the city: you surround him, you mob him, you film the humiliation and the #bystandereffect, and then you broadcast it on #socialmedia as a trophy."

https://thevoicesf.org/friday-nights-new-york-city-style-menacing-in-dolores-park/