What I'm learning every time one of my posts escapes containment and ends up on the discover feed is that a whole helluva lot of people are being combative yet also agreeing with the post.
And I can't tell if that's because they're not picking up what I'm laying down or if that's just normal now.
And I can't tell if that's because they're not picking up what I'm laying down or if that's just normal now.
Comments
Doesn’t excuse being combative, where more gentle interactions could suffice, but you could be more precise
https://www.radicalagreement.com/post/yes-and-and
Be clear, not ambiguous
Be concise
Tag for tone, such as /s for sarcasm
*barks at you in a friendly way*
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter how perfectly you cater your messaging or how researched you are, there will always be people wanting to tug at (what they see as) loose strings.
I’m with you, I wish it would stop. It’s annoying.
Sources:
• https://lens.monash.edu/@politics-society/2022/05/30/1384596/facebook-and-the-unconscionability-of-outrage-algorithms?amp=1
• https://knightcolumbia.org/content/the-algorithmic-management-of-polarization-and-violence-on-social-media
• https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/social-media-algorithms-warp-how-people-learn-from-each-other/
Or blocking them if they’re extra annoying or shiddy.
Not to defend those getting combative, just my take on why they do.
Doesn't help that trolling sews suspicion.
good is always the enemy it seems.
this post didn't escape containment, but I couldn't find a way to contact you otherwise
I had felt like our online discourse has been so combative for so long, people are conditioned to be combative even in agreement. Most people are not nearly so brusque when face-to-face.
Reminds me of what abysmally sore losers the maga crowd are. Angry when they lose, angry when they win.
It'd be jolly quiet though, if people only spoke when they can add value.
Even common sense evades some.
the words very clearly are there.
Anyway, hope this helps :)
The intersection between knowledge and communication finds people like you who can communicate science and concepts effectively. It's kinda rare.
There are some weird bots on here that only reply to posts to disagree
What if those folk are doing it because the algorith has already conditioned them so much towards these behaviors that it's now a self-perpetuating dopamine-seeking exercise?
So argument is their "ringing bell"?
I've had people rail at me in agreement, thinking they're disagreeing with me. We work it out.
However there are people just want to be combative. Block 'em.
And just so you know, even if I got exactly what I was asking for probably 80% of my posts would still end up on the discover feed. It's just rough when conversations get hijacked in ways I could never have predicted
Tbh I’m not always aware of being on one of the other feed
It seems only the first post of a thread gets weird responses. That I think means it went on the discover feed.
But another thing that happens is if I'm replying to someone and make a third post in the thread, a lot of followers see that.
In a way it's great because it helps more people see the clarifications I'm making. But in another way, it can feel like encouraging a pile-on when I'm pushing back against something.
You use all three liberally.
Like do we need a thaumiel-class post on standby just in case one of your gets away from you a lil bit?
It's been painful for a long time, but I think I'm getting to a point where I can't feel bad about offending people who don't understand me. Everything can't be my problem.
i have a friend who gets very worked up at the news and starts yelling at me about it, as though i "did the news to her." i suspect this is the same thing, but digital -- but i don't know what that thing is!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8zNCukPmi8
Make a new account, follow a few people, you'll find it's a lot quieter 😂😂
Even I suffer from it. I think it's easier when you understand they're just trying to get noticed.
And I’m a firm believer that the ability to think critically and nuanced has puttered out across the country over the years. I’d love to see a side by side of comprehension scores (tho only 1 marker) & rise of poverty/debt/class size etc. That’d be seen as wasteful by these guys tho🤷🏻♀️
Oh wait sorry I mean:
Uh, no shit dude, OBVIOUSLY it's both, you should have worded it better smh my head.
I'm still reeling from the remark of you telling people to heat up water to use a dishwasher that... heats up water (and there's a reason why it does so at a specific points).
No attention to nuance
Ready to bicker just to bicker
🥱
I'm pressing a bit snarkily on "the discover feed is actually a problem" because, well, it keeps being a problem.
There's a clear and obvious pattern of poor behavior in replies when the people replying are not following me.
I usually have that because non-strangers have a common understanding with each other. Actual strangers who like to stir shit up, though - they're no fun.
That informs my response. I'm trying to be more active in operating with the duty of care I need to have.
If you're not picking up what I'm laying down - please read the words you're responding to and actually respond to the thoughts presented - not the ones your subtext detector is erroneously picking up for reasons I cannot fathom.
In all seriousness, do you have a link to that post about the LLM bots on bsky?
Very few people on it because my posts don't break containment.
"Reading comprehension of this site is piss poor"
"How dare you say I piss on the poor!"
Dunno why people can't just like a post and move on. Way less stressful.
Bluesky isn't as bad as others because it's not trying to force ad clicks, but we all came here from places that were, and we are trained that way.
I'm here for a couple of reasons. 1, I'd like an outlet to share thoughts a little more casually than YouTube. And 2, I like to have a way to engage with people in my audience which is less intimate than email (and people violating that intimacy is why I don't have a public email)
This platform could be both a public firehose *and* and more intimate space.
Hell, Twitter had Twitter Circles before whatshisface bought it
People who do not know who I am or what my deal is start seeing things of mine and react uncharitably without context.
It is, in my view, the core problem of social media. It's all noise and no signal.
We have plenty of such spaces in real life, and Bluesky could easily provide the affordances to offer those spaces here.
When I make posts like this, it's not because I can't deal with swatting flies in my notifications. I can handle that. If I couldn't I wouldn't be here.
These posts are because I think this is actually a real problem which needs active pushback from everyone.
Profiles I've checked post way less than I do (he says ashamedly)
Basically it becomes a snowball.
!", was one of the saddest and most infuriating things.
we have to believe we can get better in order to give ourselves space to do so.
We need to allow ourselves space to make moves regardless of the system. Because if we don't, we resign ourselves to oppression.
This is actually the crux of my "stop letting daddy techbro control your life" crankiness.
There will always be a few in the batch that need time to learn & grow.
I was just saying cause I wasn't expecting to encounter that sort on bluesky. Very much unhinged the twitter type...
There are billions of other people I would rather be interacting with, so this deserves zero seconds of my time.
The account is one part of who they are as a human being. And it's a part that is not edifying for me right now.
I wish them happiness, healing, learning, whatever they need. I can't supply it for them, & I accept that.
What's the point of arguing with delusional weirdos who fully believe they're "owning" you by responding with baseless bullshit and claim every source you provide them which *proves* them wrong is fake news? Some people are a lost cause...
You can also limit who sees your posts when they're using bsky. Just go to https://bsky.app/settings -> Privacy and Security and check the box next to "Logged-out visibility".
But anywho it's a start for when you don't want randos interacting with certain posts.
We have never been free, and we still aren't. We have to break free of Republican influence. People are stuck in echo chambers.
Like the flat earth thing, feels like ppl who showed up after missed the memo.
Tinfoil hat moment for me, but I do sometimes wonder if it's bots built to try for discourse or to force people off BSky b/c of those experiences
My post about innovation in 2025 has a humorous version where I wasn't intending to make a political statement but it certainly lined up with political realities of today, and people are running with that.
Though in that case I don't disagree!
If there was only Following, people would discover posts via word of mouth from people they chose, less likely to be reflexively combative
Don’t engage
Report
Block
We can keep Bluesky welcoming while losing the losers
This has resulted in a culture where arguing past another is normalized.
It's hard to believe dream of the Internet has degraded into worldwide Jerry Springer.
Really awesome stuff, appreciate the work.
It’s hard to tell what are bots, what are AI, and what comments are just made by people whose favorite part about building models as a kid was sniffing the glue.
There's definitely been an unpleasant culture shift. Less conversational more reactionary. I find myself just not reading the comments and engaging less
I approve. Praise the algorithm!
https://bsky.app/profile/doodlemancy.com/post/3lgm6h322tc2n
😮😉🤭
i feel empathy for folks with a big two-way platform.
I'm consciously in a battle to try and make the world better and part of that includes pushing back on bad norms.
i suppose i am a cynic, but i am glad that someone with the influence to potentially make the change is trying. i appreciate your approach to sharing + learning.
I moved from Reddit to Bluesky very recently, because reading Reddit threads (even in niche communities) was doing bad things for my mood. Bluesky seems maybe a bit better? But I haven't wandered too far yet.
My first reaction before replying is to visit the account, read some other posts. Gather my thoughts. But I didn't learn that here.
Others want to slice the ham so thin that it becomes transparent, and they hate on allies for not being allied closely enough.
And then the bots. But BSky doesn't care.