ASM Update, June 25 2023

25 Jun 2023 - Robert W. Gehl

This update focuses on the University of Warwick Mastodon Research Symposium.

Nate Tkacz, Carlos Cámara-Menoyo, and Fangzhou Zhang put on a wonderful, and intensive, two days focused on Mastodon and the broader fediverse.

Particularly of value, I thought, was the second day, which was unfortunately not streamed. We gathered together to talk about research ethics and methods. I posted some notes about what we said on the fediverse, using the #MastoSymposium hashtag.

In my view, one of the most important conversations we need to have – and openly have – is about research ethics with the fediverse. I talked about this at length in my plenary presentation.

And the point was hammered home for me on day 2 by the SysterServer collective, a group that hosts some instances and who attended the workshop. They aren’t academics, so they aren’t concerned with filling up CVs. But they have needs. Ethical research with them could help address their needs. Our research ought to resonate with the fediverse.

So what’s next? I believe we can continue this conversation at the AOIR preconference that several of us are hosting.

And of course, let’s keep talking research ethics on the fediverse – a conversation that has been happening for years – see here and here and here for just three examples.

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