So, whatever your feelings about the happenings over on Twitter, a new social media network is surging in popularity: The Fediverse.

Yep, I’ve been on there since circa 2017, but really just started migrating over with the hostile takeover of Twitter. I did not realize how toxic twitter is, and doing more reading into it, how it’s engagement algos actually promotes that.

Originally, I got interested in the Fediverse for more technology-related reasons: I am a big proponent of Free and Libre Open Source Software. And eliminating one non-free service is always a win for me. But then making the realization that for-profit social media is just toxic, and a dark pattern for human behavior has pretty much sealed the deal for me.

So, eventually, I’ll share my place there a bit more openly, but for now, hop on over to https://joinmastodon.org, and dip your toes in. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised, at the lack of toxicity, the way conversations (Real conversations, not a series of quips and gotchyas) happen, and how people are more… collegiate there. There’s also some benefits too, like the ability to “follow” hashtags. This means you don’t need to follow 1000 accounts, just to keep tabs on Linux news. Just follow #linux :)

Also, one of the reasons toxicity remains low is the community involved, and the tools you get. You get the ability to block individuals, or even a server they originate from if it’s a common problem from that server. If you don’t like the server you’re on, you can move!

I’ll post more about it in the coming days, but for now, that’s all I got. Enjoy!