Re: bear blog echo chamber
So this is a reply to a reply. mgx wrote a blog post called bear blog echo chamber, in reply to another post about said subject. He didn't have the link to the post because it seemingly disappeared from the trending page so I'm sad to say I can't read the original, as I'd like to.
But from the sounds of things it looks like the original author was very much down on the trending page and posts that often reach the top, as mgx notes:
They also mentioned something about people having basic revelations or moral epiphanies that they should have had when they were 12. Well, many of these posts are personal, with people thinking out loud and sharing reflections that resonate with others. It's no surprise these pieces reach the Trending page. Ironically, their own critical post made it there, too, which only proves that diverse perspectives get attention on this platform.
I think it's true that a lot of Bear blogs write about similar topics. I guess people who wanted to start a blog read a lot of personal stories and whatnot and decided they wanted to write about the same things, and in doing so inspired others. So it has kind of created an echo chamber where a lot of people in this community write about similar topics. To me, that's not a bad thing; that's just what links Bear bloggers together.
mgx mentions Hacker News; he uses it as an example of why some tech posts on Bear rise to the top because of links, but I'm using it as an example of another community. Unsurprisingly the link in that one is tech - people share links and write about tech-related posts. That's the community. Does anyone care that it's an echo chamber itself? I doubt it.
In any case, if you want to see more diverse blog posts then write them. Encourage other people to join and write about things they like too. The more voices on the platform, the more diverse subjects you'll see.
I definitely notice a lot of the same people rise to the trending page and I can't quite explain what their posts have that mine don't (I write similar stuff), but that's just the way the cookie crumbles. But I also don't really care that my stuff isn't top trending.
I like the way mgx finishes his piece:
At the end of the day, Bear Blog is a platform where everyone has a voice. Don't like the trending posts? Skip and switch to the Most recent feed.
That's something I wholeheartedly agree with. The Internet is full of choices - make your own.
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