Exactly! I actually talked back and forth with him a bit and eventually said that “complaining about a missing FOSS feature is like complaining to the volunteer ladeler at a soup kitchen about the lack of a gluten-free option. It’s just not the path to getting the change you want.”

In the end he seemed to get what I was saying, but was still irritated. I’ve been really learning lately how hard it is for some people not to see themselves as customers in FOSS land.

Absolutely. And to be fair, “a chance at fame and attention” is the sales pitch from the commercial platforms. They don’t want users having “meaningful conversation”. There’s a great essay/rant from Cat Valente called “Stop Talking to Each Other and Start Buying Things”.

✨much elegance✨

If it’s still too complicated for someone after reading this I think it’s safe to say they’re a lost cause

Yep. “Slowly, then all at once”.

Personally, I think once the journalists and news orgs (finally) get on board, that will inspire government agencies to make the change, and that will be the true tipping point away from 𝕏.

You can just click “no thanks” to the subscription box, but I’ve copy-pasted the full guide (short version) here for you:

1. Download the Mastodon app from the Apple app store or Play store.

2. Create an account (just like Twitter or any other social media)

3. Follow people, and get posting.

It’s a bit of a joke post because a lot of the coverage around Mastodon gets really into the weeds with Federation, ActivityPub, etc. and journalists often describe it as “too techie” for “normal” users.

Well, “normal” users don’t care about the technical backend of Twitter or Facebook so it always felt a bit disingenuous to me it was presented this way. Hopefully my post can dispell some of the confusion!