Convener: Richard Reisman (@rreisman@techpolicy.social)

Notes

Navigating A Linked Web of Communities in Many Dimensions

Starting point framing/readings:

• https://ucm.teleshuttle.com/2023/08/from-fediverse-to-pluriverse-of-future.html

• https://ucm.teleshuttle.com/p/items.html

Hypercommunities

• Multi-homing user agents (iDPI/Gobo)

• Reference: https://techpolicy.press/community-and-content-moderation-in-the-digital-public-hypersquare/

Ranking as core task

“rate the raters and weight the ratings”

• User-selectable, multilevel feed composition composed from multiple algorithms

• Multi-dimensional reputation based on explicit and/or implicit signals

  • Reference: https://ucm.teleshuttle.com/2018/07/the-augmented-wisdom-of-crowds-rate.html

• Rebuilding our social mediation ecosystem

Technical goal: multi-level, user-selectable feed composition, steering through a mix of algorithms/recommender systems

Reputation as another piece / layer complementing the opportunities/possibilities of complex feed compositions

Query whethere there are nascent values tensions between a vision for the future of the fediverse / internet that relies on non-linear feeds and some sense of reputation, and the emerging norms that prioritize presentation systems that resist any possibility of bias

Links from discussion and chat: https://aclanthology.org/2023.findings-acl.742.pdf

Eigentrust: https://karma3labs.com/

https://scottaaronson.blog/?p=1820

Book: https://www.dukeupress.edu/designs-for-the-pluriverse

Comparison made between choosing a template (e.g. with Notion) and choosing an algorithm/recommender system, to control the type of experience you have

Multi-homing also changes in character as well - you aren’t stuck in an instance / difficult to move as a means of choosing the nature of your experience, you can choose your algorithm of the day and switch at will

Query re: who’s doing this?

• gobo.social – integrates Bluesky, Mastodon, and Reddit feeds to a single feed and allows for customized filtering (not reordering just yet)

• Block Party has some ambitions on this space

• Delegation protocol: https://ucan.xyz/ - could be part of future of Bluesky architecture

• https://techpolicy.press/delegation-or-the-twenty-nine-words-that-the-internet-forgot/

Regulatory angle emerging here with e.g. DMA and proposed laws in NY State and Congress

Another link: https://w3c-ccg.github.io/zcap-spec/

Extensibility is a key requirement.

To stay in touch:

• @rreisman@techpolicy.social, rreisman [at] teleshuttle [dot] com

• Chris = @mchris@techpolicy.social (it’s my instance) or me [at] mchrisriley [dot] com

• https://mastodon.online/@drimplausible

Stephen’s white paper: https://www.dropbox.com/s/ocycob0zfq7huxn/TARN%20%28Trust%20and%20Rating%20Network%29.pdf?dl=0