Brian Smith

If you look under the hood of Bluesky, you'll realize that this is a Tech Bro's libertarian nightmare.

Real moderation will never happen.
As it grows the issues will also grow and there's no stopping it.

You might block all the Nazis, but they'll still be here and isn't that why you left Twitter?

And, just to be clear I'm the short space we have to write, they deserve a label.

A moderation service shouldn't have to label itself, and while we may quibble about the particular label for this one, they're clearly not impartial.

They've literally outlined what opinions they will allow and won't.

While most of the choices are not bad, the fact that they picked a side is.

And his attempt to make this place some online, libertarian utopia has severely limited how moderation can work.

What moderation there is, it's weak and has no accountability.

They're really as bad as he is.
They're trying to micromanage opinion on individual issues rather than general behavior.

Their approach allows people to weaponize moderation because they're defining protected groups and those groups can get away with the things they don't want others doing to them.

That's not their problem, really.

Calling not hating "the left" only shows that "the right" is hateful.

Their problem is that they think they need to solve every, individual problem with hard set rules.

They need to look at GENERALIZED Z behavior and language and judge from that.

Right.
He has this libertarian delusion that everyone should be responsible for their own moderation.

It allows hate to flourish.
It encourages the worst of bubbles.
It encourages people to judge and block on a whim and never know how wrong they are.

It's because he has this vision of what's supposed to happen when the world uses his things, and the world NEVER uses programs the way the coder intended, so he's going to keep trying until his libertarian social media platform brings about Internet utopia.

Nope.
This place is destined to fail because, despite people building their personal bubbles and not realizing that's what they're doing, at its base, this is all tech bro/libertarian theory on how social media should work and far too many normal people will be alienated.

You may not realize this, but Bluesky is doomed to failure because, at its core, it's a tech bro, Libertarian structure.

It held up, more or less, under the weight of fewer, handpicked users, but a sustainable platform needs more than 12 employees and "good vibes."

They're five volunteers who do this as a hobby.

They won't explain. They'll just judge.
These are not the right people for the job, but Bluesky is never going to be more than the hobby of a dozen former basement dwellers, so it'll never do better.

You can't trust them.
They're five or six volunteers.
This is a hobby.
All these statements don't read like anything a professional would write or someone with a degree in psychology or sociology or something relevant.
Hell, most of it is social media buzz words and copy and paste.

It's a joke.

Banks and credit unions now let you see your new card info online/in the app before it's sent.

You can use it to make online payments, but in person stuff you've still got to wait for the physical card to show up and activate.

They have to be watched.
Someone must do it.
If we don't, they'll get away with far worse.

I think I showed tonight that it's basically a tool for people who feel abused and bulled to rapidly become the abuser and bully. I dared question it.

Even if the five or six volunteers were qualified psychologists or sociologists, it's still highly problematic and has zero accountability.

So, for the past few hours, while the power was out, I went on the labeling post and asked a few questions and was attacked non stop by people who called me all sorts of names and accused me of being all sorts of things and then gamed the system to get me labeled, pretty much proving how shit it is.

...I wasn't even replying to you.
So judgmental.

There's a lot of people like that.
You disagree with them a little and suddenly you're whatever they want to attack.

Did you think I was actually apologizing?
You were tiring to bait me in.
It was a sad attempt too.

Great example.
That's trying to build a straw man.
Other logical fallacies too.

I can't ask how it's transphobic and, oh, I don't know, learn new things?

Straw Man.

Working for them with a good reference maybe.
Just getting the job, no.

Still dodging why they don't post actual qualifications.

It's basically five of six people and they think they can label someone for one, misunderstood post. Screw um.

Missed the point completely.

I'm not mad, people just like to assume that because it makes it easier to dismiss me.

Watching people do this is a study in social psychology. It's fascinating.

Tone?

Another common Internet misconception.

It's text. There's no tone.
Whatever tone there is, it's only in your head as you read, so you're literally reinforcing your confirmation bias as you read.

🙄
"I don't like being labeled an abuser you smartass troll!"

Sorry, but you came into a thread with a bunch of people attacking me because I asked a question about trusting a highly dubious reporting tool that they're trying to abuse for fun and then post a "quote" that's completely out of context and expect me to not think you're mocking me?

It tends to trigger people.
They imagine they know things about me that they don't.

Thanks for the insults.

Senators and corporations are never wrong with their hires?

Why not give actually credentials?

If they're qualifed, why not say it?

No, I didn't.

I asked a question.

People love to assume through.
They get triggered by the profile pic.
They feel good about attacking someone who they've imagined is all these terrible things, but they made that all up.

Typical.
Self righteous.
Ignore what you can't rationalize away.

Thanks for the insults.
I guess you like perpetuating the cycle of abuse?

🤣
I wasn't hostile.

This argument again.

Just let people abuse the system.

Didn't do that.
Thanks for being like that.

They might have done the same for me, but they didn't.

🙄
Did I ask if it could be known?
Is it important?

A) Who's mad?
B) Their judgment seems off.
C) Here's y'all abusing the system.

Childish mocking.
Wow.

Did that happen to you and now you need to do it to others?

So I have to have a Xhitter account and support Nazis for you? 🙄

I get that.
Thanks.

I do wish people here wouldn't just assume everyone knows the complete history of what they've read online.

Thank you, though. You were kind.

You know, I asked and a few people actually talked about it and showed some proof.

Everyone else, like you, just assumed I must have a counter position and attacked, feeling really snug and self important.

Do better.

How is that?
How is that word "ableist?"

No one even tried to explain.
Like you, they made assumptions about me and attacked.

Pilling on with the others.

Good god but social media makes the bullied into bullies so quickly.

All quick to attack.

Swipe type error.
Does that make you feel superior?

What does it matter?

Yeah, why would it matter.