Attention Media ≠ Social Media
5 hours ago
- #Mastodon
- #attention economy
- #social media
- Early social media was genuinely social, focusing on updates from people you knew or liked.
- The shift from Web 2.0 optimism to attention media occurred between 2012 and 2016.
- Infinite scroll and bogus notifications disrupted user experience and sense of control.
- Notifications became manipulative, serving the platform rather than the user.
- Timelines filled with content from strangers made social media feel impersonal and overwhelming.
- Mastodon revived the original social media experience with user-controlled updates and no manipulative notifications.
- Mastodon's timeline is calm, predictable, and based solely on user choices, reminiscent of early Twitter.