Vladimir Putin's Forkiverse
Summary
Search Engine hosts PJ Vogt, Casey Newton, and Kevin Roose discuss the unexpected end of their experimental social network, the Forkverse. They reveal that the platform was infiltrated by Russian disinformation bots from the Prigozhin network, forcing them to shut it down. The trio reflects on the challenges of maintaining a federated community and their decision to hand over administration to trust and safety experts. The episode concludes with an interview with Evan Prodromau, a key figure in the fediverse, who offers perspective on the failure and the ongoing search for better online spa…
Topics discussed
Intro: The concept of 'minions' and failing in the arena
Origin story: Launching the Forkverse and the Fediverse
Early success: 10,000 users and the ideal social network
Strike 1: Exceeding hosting limits and personal costs
Strike 2: Declining engagement and the 'ghost town' effect
Reflections: The value of compliments vs. toxic feeds
Teaser: The impending 'doozy' strike and portal combat
Strike 3: Alert from IFTAS regarding Russian influence
Identifying the threat: The 'Portal Combat' network
Profile analysis: The 'boring' base account Yx0g
The mechanism: How base accounts invite bots
Evidence: The 'Kyle Palmer' account and propaganda posts
The dilemma: Subsidizing Russian propaganda on Mastodon
Options: Shut down vs. hand over to IFTAS
Debate: Why the Forkverse is not critical infrastructure
Shame and lessons: The failure of the experiment
Kevin's return to X: Losing the fight to Elon Musk
Decision: One month grace period before shutdown
Humor: The outdated nature of Russian disinformation tactics
Promo: Machine Gods and the upcoming exit interview
Sponsors: Notion and Mubi
Interview: Evan Prodromau on the Fediverse's future
Discussion: Disappointment and the search for community
Conclusion: Staying connected and the spirit of the internet
Final notice: Deadline for migrating Forkverse accounts
Credits and show support information
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