The internet used to be a collection of homes.
Now it's a row of malls.
We traded the hobbyist era for corporate walled gardens. ICQ is dead, Skype is dead, and the open web is being strip-mined for data.

But remember: the #hashtag was born in 1980s IRC rooms, not a Silicon Valley PR firm.

The Fediverse isn't just a trend - it's a return to what made the web work in the first place.

Protocols over platforms. Always.

#OpenWeb #IRC #Fediverse #Mastodon #Nostalgia #IndieWeb #Tech #Decentralize #Thoughts #Blog

The internet used to be a collection of homes.
Now it's a row of malls.
We traded the hobbyist era for corporate walled gardens. ICQ is dead, Skype is dead, and the open web is being strip-mined for data.

But remember: the #hashtag was born in 1980s IRC rooms, not a Silicon Valley PR firm.

The Fediverse isn't just a trend - it's a return to what made the web work in the first place.

Protocols over platforms. Always.

#OpenWeb #IRC #Fediverse #Mastodon #Nostalgia #IndieWeb #Tech #Decentralize #Thoughts #Blog

OK I've now spent a day camping the #TheForkiverse / #Forkiverse

/public/local

("These are the most recent public posts from people whose accounts are hosted by theforkiverse.com.")

feed and all I can say is, in no particular order:

Zero to very low #Hashtag use

Empty #ProfilePages

Pretty much content-free posts in general, I mean:

"trying out this new corner of the internet. u up?" with zero hashtags by an empty Profile

An "old" account is barely a week old

Very little (if any) threading; posts are all one-offs

Allegedly: Server stats: 5.6K active users @ 01/15/26

Analysis: a New York Podcast Influencer's flash-in-the-pan featured in (apparently) one podcast

Forecast: since it's nothing more than Just Another Mastodon Instance(tm) on v4.5.4, a slow decline into irrelevance, because right now there's simply nothing to set the Forkiverse aside from all the other Mastodon instances that offer anything besides a famous Podcast Influencer...

YMMV...

Here: https://theforkiverse.com/public/local

@mattblaze You’ve always had the power to go back to normal times. Just close your eyes, #hashtag #three #words in every toot, and think to yourself, “There’s no place like putting a content warning on each and every thing I write.”

More yelling from the homeowners association

#The #hashtag #mob #can #go #fuck #right #off.

If you care about digital sovereignty and want to see your government join the #fediverse, contact them to say that #ItsTimeToAbolishX.

Help us make a list of how to get in touch with a representative in your area under this post, and don’t forget to #hashtag so your neighbours can find it 👇🏽 we’ll start:
#EU: https://commission.europa.eu/about/contact/representations-member-states_en
#USA: https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials

I can only encourage you all to use #hashtags more often. I discover so many great accounts simply because they appear in my feed among the hashtags I subscribe to! I also would never have discovered some organisations otherwise. #Hashtags bring you your favourite content but also the audience that likes your topics or lives in your region/town.

Learn how they work and what you can do:
https://fedi.tips/what-are-hashtags-how-do-i-use-them-on-mastodon-and-the-fediverse/

#audience #discover #Mastodon #Feed #timeline #connection #hashtag #newcomers

I can only encourage you all to use #hashtags more often. I discover so many great accounts simply because they appear in my feed among the hashtags I subscribe to! I also would never have discovered some organisations otherwise. #Hashtags bring you your favourite content but also the audience that likes your topics or lives in your region/town.

Learn how they work and what you can do:
https://fedi.tips/what-are-hashtags-how-do-i-use-them-on-mastodon-and-the-fediverse/

#audience #discover #Mastodon #Feed #timeline #connection #hashtag #newcomers