social media types
…in the Fixed Type version of the scenario, if I see a friend who posts not often but see a post I like by them, I can hit like- all it serves is to signal to them I saw it, and that I liked it. This is like waving to someone you haven’t seen in a while, or nodding in response to something a friend said in a group you literally liked.
In a Reactive Type, this action is interpreted entirely differently (and varies platform to platform) but inevitably, much like buying a toilet on amazon will recommend you more toilets, you will now be served MORE of that friend’s content. It’s essentially an onramp button that weights their posts being mixed into your timeline, which is not necessarily how everyone is using it…
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Discographette wrote a neat breakdown of different design decisions across social media platforms, and their ramifications. I like her taxonomy of fixed vs reactive types.
In general, I wish more platforms would take the “fixed” route. I found Cohost’s design to be quite refreshing—namely, showing only posts from people or tags that I follow, and always showing them in chronological order. The feedback loops inherent to “reactive” social media seem both harmful and inevitable.
That said, as an American living in Japan, I can relate to the problem of not being able to keep up with my friends in different time zones. Chronological timelines tend to make this harder, since things that were posted while I’m asleep will require scrolling further back to see. It’s a prime example of something algorithmic curation could be harnessed for to do good.