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You absolutely should not dismiss the AT Protocol technology that runs this place as boring nerd stuff, because that is the exact technology we are going to need to ensure that usable social media that isn’t controlled by Nazis continues to exist.

You don’t need to become an expert on AT Protocol, you don’t need to learn to code, but I really do want to impress upon people that “federated social media” is a vitally important concept in a time of global authoritarian and technofeudalist consolidation.

And yes, while Mastodon isn’t my thing and I prefer AT Proto to Activity as federated social media infrastructure, I am VERY glad it exists and is being built out, too. The future absolutely requires online communication hubs that can’t be bought by dead-eyed Nazis.

Digital sovereignty must be a key focus for all free societies in the next decade if democracy is going to survive this moment.

And this doesn’t mean Bluesky or AT Protocol are THE answer to the problem of building social media that is much hard for authoritarians to control - but it has been the most compelling effort I’ve seen in this space so far, and the one I’ve actually enjoyed using most. We need more such efforts.