Posted this
current status: thinking of the fediverse as a kind of gnosticism, a hermetic (secret/occult/anti-public) discipline whose soteriology (model of salvation) specifically rejects broad inclusivity in favor of a small community of destined chosen
and got the response, I swear to god, "In what ways is the #fediverse not #inclusive ?"
People of color, especially Black folks, have been explaining for literally years the ways in which the fediverse culture is often hostile and racist, for example.
But in more abstract terms, fediverse best practices (like "join a well-moderated small instance") don't scale well to large groups of newcomers. There are significant barriers to finding a "home" here, especially for marginalized people. It's kind of like finding a job, or a therapist, lol.
There is a tendency of folks (including the best folks) on the fediverse to tend their own gardens rather than building a space that is actively welcoming to new people, especially when those people don't already match the existing culture and don't have an "in" with a specific community.



