That question kind of seems like bait, and that incident has nothing to do with why one platform is better than another. And your conclusion is to go back to a platform that's being run to the ground by a combination of a terrible CEO and nefarious political influence? Well, I won't argue against your freedom to make your own choice here, but I don't see the logic in it.
Initially, I had some No True Scotsman type interactions which I didn't enjoy one bit, but I stuck with it, and now it's where I spend a decent amount of my time.
There is a good representation of scientists, journalists, and other groups which I enjoy.
It's now >3M users, where as when it was the hot new thing, I think it was <1M fwiw.
What is it about journalists that you enjoy? It's hard for me to think of a group I'd like to hear less from. They don't seem all that impressive or interesting.
In any case, based on what OP describes, and the groups you mentioned, is it fair to say it's a hothouse of left wing political discourse?
Their job is to seek the truth, many fail, but the goal is admirable. I actually push myself to read views that I don't entirely agree with, within reason.
> In any case, based on what OP describes, and the groups you mentioned, is it fair to say it's a hothouse of left wing political discourse?
Compared to X? Oh, yes. Personally, I am a non-US centrist, which I think makes me pretty-left on most issues from a 2024 US political POV. Lots of gay and trans people who are not being attacked as well, so that's nice.
There is a large pro-EU/anti-authoritarian contingent, which I very much enjoy more than anything.
When even the most basic, logical, obvious line of questioning exposes an insanely racist oikophobic ideology, maybe being "bad faith" does not disqualify an argument.
That's a question that's hard to ask without pattern matching with a lot of tedious, dark stuff, and nobody on social networks is thinking carefully or applying even a fraction of the energy the HN guidelines ask, so you're just getting pattern matched. There's not much to do about it. Complaining isn't going to change it. It works in similar ways in all communities --- even here, though the specific patterns might occasionally be different.
I'm not rooting for Mastodon (I think Mastodon has the better story, and, for me, much better apps). And it is the most cliquish of the three major alternatives in the space. But this specific criticism isn't very probative.
