Ancestors

Written by naught101 on 2025-01-30 at 01:50

Algorithms aren't bad. Algorithms are just tools. They do what they are designed to do*.

The problem isn't algorithms, the problem is values. The problem is optimisation for profit.

We could choose to create algorithms to optimise for any other thing we value, like increasing understanding, reducing conflict, or whatever we like. It wouldn't be profitable, but... that's good?

• OK, a bad algorithm is one that doesn't work as designed.

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Written by naught101 on 2025-01-30 at 01:56

Mastodon already has a few algorithms:

the Home feed is:

• Show me posts for which I follow:

• the author,

• the booster, or

• one of the contained hashtags

• Sorted in the order of most recently posted OR boosted

The Explore feed is something like:

• Show me posts that have been boosted X amount in the last Y minutes

• Sorted by how many boosts

(I don't know the specifics, just guessing)

Plus the ones for the local and global live feeds, and hashtags and lists. And "Who to follow"

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Written by naught101 on 2025-01-30 at 01:59

I would love it if Mastodon had a few more algorithms. The key criteria should include:

• The values and intentions behind their design are explicit. No black boxes.

• If any individual data is used, then they should be opt-in.

• The code is open (a given here), and

• Performance can be evaluated.

there might be others too

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Toot

Written by naught101 on 2025-01-30 at 02:02

There are a few simple algorithms already proposed that would be really useful and match the criteria above, e.g.

• Trending post views for each hashtag: https://github.com/mastodon/mastodon/issues/16891

• bluesky style custom feeds https://github.com/mastodon/mastodon/issues/33098

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Descendants

Written by naught101 on 2025-01-30 at 02:09

I would really like a customisable feed algorithm that lets me do things like:

• Block a hashtag (e.g. sport), but not if it hits some other criteria

• Weight hashtags, and reduce or increase posts' likelihood of showing,

e.g. I want EVERY climate science post to show up, and I'd like to see photography posts sometimes, but only if they're really good.

• I'd like to follow certain multi-topic users, but only see their posts if they include certain topics.

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Written by naught101 on 2025-01-30 at 02:11

I would also like a better recommender-engine style feed, that takes into account my interactions with other users, and then shows me what posts they have been interacting with, normalised by post popularity - e.g. if there is an unpopular post that my neighbours have been interacting with a lot, show me that.

(obviously this one would require opt-in)

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Written by Osma A on 2025-01-30 at 05:34

Why would showing a public post to unsubscribed other people require (new) opt-in? That's precisely what a public post means and how it is defined: "is visible in timelines and trending"

@naught101

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Written by naught101 on 2025-01-30 at 06:37

@osma

I think it would be using data in a way beyond the original intention (e.g. it would require some analytics of recent user behaviour, like boosting and replying), so it seems polite to ask first.

There is already an opt-in for discoverability, which I guess could be expanded to include this, but it might also be good to add it as a separate option. "Let me show up in searches" is quite different from "Analyse my recent actions so stuff I'm interacting with shows up for others"

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Written by Osma A on 2025-01-30 at 06:44

@naught101

As you wrote, the local trending already does that analytics. Both the public toot mark and the account discoverability already mean opting in to both public timelines and searchability. I am fully onboard with your proposal that there should be a user-managable algorithmic timeline available, but will argue that Mastodon already does a bad job managing way too granular opt in and yet another carve-out would make it worse.

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Written by craige on 2025-01-30 at 03:01

@naught101 is this an algorithm or a REGEX? 😜

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Written by naught101 on 2025-01-30 at 03:27

@craige I don't think weighting different factors is possible in a regex?

But yeah... regex feed filtering would be interesting. Probably not very efficient though.

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Written by craige on 2025-01-30 at 05:35

@naught101 oh, I wasn't recommending it - I'm not that cruel 🤣

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