Linda Eisenstein
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thread 1/13
Spoutible: A Thread

Since the Wired article about @cbouzy , Spoutible, & the author's desire for a new Twitter that will thrill him to be recognized anew, I've been thinking about why it will be hard for traditional tech media to understand it. It has to do with White Men. Hang on.
04:55 PM - Jun 07, 2023
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Linda Eisenstein
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thread 2/13
Spoutible from its inception did not go to Venture Capital or investors. Instead, @cbouzy went directly to potential users to **ask what they wanted**. He crowd-sourced features. He proposed TOS & held polls. In other words, he reached out to Community. Making Community a central proposition here.
04:58 PM - Jun 07, 2023
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Linda Eisenstein
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thread 3/13
Community - finding your people - is not in our culture a White Male strategy, which constantly talks about a Hero's Journey, centering you as the protagonist versus the world. Nope. It is Black, it is LatinX, it is Indigenous, it is Queer, it is Female. Which means it is invisible to many WM.
05:02 PM - Jun 07, 2023
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Linda Eisenstein
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thread 4/13
@Cbouzy also made the **safety**of marginalized communities central to the development & mission of Spoutible. This was virtually unmentioned in the Wired article, just like the considerations of the marginalized are ignored or mocked or totally misunderstood daily by the many WM who dominate tech.
05:06 PM - Jun 07, 2023
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Linda Eisenstein
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thread 5/13
As it has evolved by its users, who have to create our own algorithms, Spoutible behaves more and more like an Intentional Community with a Gift Economy. It mostly runs on good will, compliments, shared good wishes, info exchange, and a "here's a pie I made, have a piece" neighborly attitude.
05:09 PM - Jun 07, 2023
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Linda Eisenstein
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thread 6/13
But it is no Mayberry. People will get called out by problematic behavior, our trans friends will be defended, foljs will tell wyt folks to talk less & listen more. It isn't for everybody. And it is cold water in the face of the privileged who expect to be centered & cosseted like everywhere else.
05:12 PM - Jun 07, 2023
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Linda Eisenstein
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thread 7/13
Spoutible is a New Place. It isn't Utopia, but it is something extraordinary that is being built: a diverse space where voices can be heard, people can learn from each other. Stories are being told. And stories are what knit us together.
05:14 PM - Jun 07, 2023
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Linda Eisenstein
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thread 8/13
I am deeply grateful for the people who are banding together to keep it safe, make it a large family BBQ where we don't have to sing Kumbaya together but truly thoughtless or nasty behavior will be called out or put in check. I honestly don't know if the mostly WM tech media can make sense of this.
05:18 PM - Jun 07, 2023
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Linda Eisenstein
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thread 9/13
It reminds me mostly of my #BuyNothing group, where daily acts of generosity among diverse neighbors power a sense of community. I look at #DailyPictureTheme before I sign off at night, marveling at lovely images people share. I dance to #SpoutingClassics . These are places hosted by WM who get it.
05:21 PM - Jun 07, 2023
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Linda Eisenstein
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thread 10/13
I follow classic films by @albertopastor , black films by @jforwardfilms , @blackmusicproject for deep analysis. This is a rich & artful place that mostly soothes me, despite bringing me wrenching political news. It makes me believe I can make a difference. And that matters most.
05:26 PM - Jun 07, 2023 (Edited)
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Linda Eisenstein
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thread 11/13
And because I wrote this on the fly, I neglected to mention the AAPI communities & others that also value collective responsibility. Please forgive typos that weren't noticed til too late.
05:33 PM - Jun 07, 2023
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Linda Eisenstein
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thread 12/13
PS. This thread was fueled in part by the deep dive @ryan made into analyzing the Wired article & noting what % of the text was devoted to which topics. It made it very clear what WASN'T being noticed or covered.
05:47 PM - Jun 07, 2023
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Linda Eisenstein
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thread 13/13
PPS I am also indebted to Dr Laura Lawrie @canyonsfan for her long, erudite, & fascinating thread about social media.
05:58 PM - Jun 07, 2023
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Linda Eisenstein
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Thanks! Definitely BBQ, there is more pie here. And fake arguments about where raisins belong.
In response to Jose Gonzalez.
10:20 PM - Jun 07, 2023
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