User:Kim/Special Issue 27/Prototyping: Social Media Track

Resources

• SEVEN THESES ON THE FEDIVERSE AND THE BECOMING OF FLOSS by Aymeric Mansoux and Roel Roscam Abbing

Installing Debby

05/20/25

ssh keys

jump from cerealbox to login debby:

ssh cerealbox
ssh xpub@145.24.152.64 (@ip address)

make a shared terminal:

tmux attach

find my ssh keys:

cd USER
ls -la (show hidden files)
cd .ssh
cat (the key I want to copy)

edit config file (nano) in .ssh folder, copy and edit cerealbox config and change host, user and ip address

ssh debby (should now be possible) --> not yet

but we made a local ssh in the config (using debbys local ip address)

ssh debby_local

the config file in my .ssh folder is a listing of all my servers
to run certain install processes go to the root access

$ su

installing mastodon software

an attempt to map debbys dependencies to debug the installation of mastodon software june 2nd

• documentation of the installation process can be found here Fediverse/Installation documentation
• we were mostly following this tutorial: https://docs.joinmastodon.org/admin/install/
  • although its not very well documented and has some gaps (which we tried to note down on the wiki page)

RSS

Prototyping session w/ Joseph pad

• death of the hyperlink
  • how shift happened from blogging to Social media (speaking about hosting structure, customization, profit, immmaterial labour...)
  • content targeting nowadays is hyper individual compared to social media 10 years ago or blogging
  • spectacularize everything to be heard (affects how we practice solidarity)
  • in 2014 google took feed reader software down, a move massively influencing the hyperlink and blogging landscape
• Langdon Winner
  • (Autonomous Technology, Do artifacts have politics?) epistemological Luddism method of not using a certain technology (or object) and then recognize what changes/ what is different
• we download an rss reader software
• we create our own feed on cerealbox
• https://rss-bridge.org/ allows to add website updates to your rss reader by defining elements with a css selector

Planetplanet a rss aggregator, combines many feeds of different online communities like Gnome Deutschland, Linux Chixs, Mozilla Zine

Server 101 with Joseph

a port 80 = http

server diagram by joseph

• we remove and install linux on virtual box new (kim, debian)

$ su -> enter pw -> $ apt install sudo nginx  php8.2 (stay in root for next step)
add user as sudo: $ nano /etc/group
in the browser go to localhost

this is already our server, just $ su installing nginx (and php)

• now we want to add a cms (flatpress)

$ sudo wget https://github.com/flatpressblog/flatpress/archive/1.3.1.zip (you have to be in /var/www/html)
$ unzip
$ mv flatpress-1.3.1/ blog
$ sudo apt install php-fpm
$ sudo systemctl stop nginx
$ sudo apt install apache2
$ sudo systemctl start apache2
in the browser go to localhost/blog
give write access (inside of blog folder do)
$ sudo chmod a+w fp-content/
continue to configure the cms in the browser (localhost/blog)

Guest Presentation: Roel Roscam Abbing

pad

screenshot from roels presentation: platform vs ecosystem

fediverse research

• studies online federation in the context of platform design
  • how is online federation configured in alternative social media
    • 'configuration' how concepts and materials interact (users/ use - system - ideas)
• two approaches:
  • genealogy (use over time, past)
  • practice based research (look at specific types/ contexts
• social media: product (intransparent, governed, one blob, profit) vs ecosystem (multiple interacting parts, incoherent, different mostly non-profit models)
• social media: platforms (bounded off even when same companies) vs federation (allow interconnection)
• over 20.000 different instances on the fediverse (different softwares, not just mastodon)
• fedidb.com
• social.edu.nl works with hr login? -- experiment
• some dont set up an own instance but build an alternative mastodon app or interface, introducing different features, ways of navigating, seeing posts phanpy.social or treed (minimal)

Lurk.org

• first offering digital infrastructure for arts (2014)
• mastodon since 2019 post.lurk.org
• fully user donations funded (and server space sponsored)
  • intentionally stay small: focus on specific environment, keep moderation workload managable, if growth then slowly
• code of conduct, terms of service, community management to make a space interesting, safe, welcoming
  • roel was speaking about trust relationship involved: when signing up for such service, interesting when this is a relation to humans and not some machines/ corporations (like meta)
  • defederations/ server blocks is a step against 'universal openness' that instances can take
• Sevgi asked: how do you choose moderators, how often do you change them? how often does moderation happen and at what points?
  • Lurk makes things for them easier by only making people who they know moderators (trust)
  • yes it makes this exclusive but also makes moderation less necessary, people solve issues between themselves
  • a code of conduct is also a conflict solving and preventing document
  • helpful cultural and geographic spread of moderators (covering different timezones and cultural experiences)
• as user if problem with user from different instance, who is responsible? Roel: its always your local server
  • this is a fundamental power shift (towards the hosts - away from central platform)
• Manetta asked: code of conduct, written once or updated? Roel: iterative document, you learn from things that go wrong and update CoC
• post.lurk.org is practice based research: as you do you learn and make this matter of/ feeds into your research understanding a content from engaging with it

lumbung.space

• during last documenta in Kassel - alternative platform prototype
• collaboration, publishing outlet, archive
  • single login for multiple apps (cloud, tv, books, social ...) --> lumbung.space is the public interface
  • would rely on existing software like mastodon or peertube
• with lumbung.space idea to lay groundworks for other communities to use similar infrastructures too
  • using co-op cloud, based on containers

lowtechmagazine.com

• on lowtech->magazine website prototype: link aggregator forum (only for subscribers) 2022
  • never launched bc moderation tooling was never sufficient to host community

outlook

• pull apart layers that in social media as product are inseparable and impenetrable
  • one does not have to act on all layers but can be one or two and go deeper there
  • dont take the thing (fediverse) as a whole but see aspects

questions

• me: server, capacities, technical?
  • Roel: questions of server scope are tightly connected to community scope and activity
  • storage would need to be infinite to save everything, post.lurk.org has a limit of a few days after which they remove attached media to keep it rather lightweight
• what is it like to research a topic like this in academic context?
• how does this environment shape the research topic and towards whom its output is directed?+
  • first it was surprising to find all the things written about design but never reach the people who practice this
    

it's less freewheeling as an art and design practice can be..
but intentionally made space for working practically
in terms of accountability...
the work needs to respond to funders.. where practice is still hard to be acknowledged as such and also respond to the people you work or have worked with, like the people who i worked with to make those prototypes with