Back

One thing I have noticed since I’ve been on the fediverse, there is just such a deeper sense of community here. When I was on Twitter, I probably had about three times the followers that I do now, but if I put out a message like I did yesterday asking for headset recommendations, if I was lucky I’d get one or two responses. I have gotten a lot of great responses and suggestions since I posted that question yesterday, and thank you to all who responded. Looking back on it, it really seems like Twitter encouraged us to be self-centered, and narcissistic. It really wasn’t about interacting with each other, except in the early days. I hope Macedon and the feta verse never lose that.
by no means am I saying that the fediverse it’s perfect. I know that there are issues with bullying and racism and other forms of prejudice. We are all human after all, and sometimes the Internet can bring out the worse than us, but it can also bring out the best in us if the online community we subscribe to encourages positive behavior. A perfect example is the number of folks who are not #Blind who put #AltText in their photos. I have been on mastodon since 2018, although I’ve switched a few instances since then, but the Fediverse has always encouraged its users to put alt text in their photos, and to describe their videos as well. Certainly, there are folks who don’t follow this rule, but there are also lots of people who try to do their best, or who are willing to be educated.
creating #Inclusive spaces for everyone is not easy, especially since we all have varying needs and some of them oppose one another. but even with the large influx of Twitter users since 2022, I have not seen a huge shift in fetiverse culture. In fact, I would say it’s just the opposite. One of my posts went viral when I was on my last instance. Lots of people responded and asked me to teach them how to write alt text. I have tried doing this on other platforms with zero success, even when a lot of my followers were friends and family. So to all of you out there who are doing your best to include everyone, thank you. You’re doing it because you care and not because you expect any kind of klout.
sometimes, if you are #Disabled or part of a visible minority, it can be hard to stay positive. You experience a lot of #Prejudice or #Discrimination, and, as you get older, it’s really easy to focus a lot on the negative rather than the positive. I’ve been through a lot this year, and had a lot of #MentalHealth challenges. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s to dial back the cynicism just a little bit, and to be grateful for the small things that make the world a better place.