Now, that was perhaps a bit naïve of me, to think that adding yet another piece of software to the fray would solve any problems. Systemic cultural problems don't get solved through the application of technological solutions. That's the problem with Silicon Valley and startup culture, IMO. You get trained in tech and you start believing tech is the solution on its own. So, in the quest to change the world and make money at the same time, you just grow the bubble, creating more problems.

So as time passed, I kept listening to smart people like @shengokai and @amyadele who elaborated on how many tech problems are actually social problems. This reminded me of the #Bahai principle of applying spiritual solutions to economic problems; whenever relationship between humans are involved, we must keep the human spirit foremost in our minds, rather than simply apply technical solutions that assume human beings to be the proverbial spherical cows.

So, where does that leave #Pinetta? Well, just because it won't solve the problems of racial, national, sexual, or economic #prejudice on its own, doesn't mean that it's not a good idea. There's been a lot of interest in the project. A lot of people want to see it happen. We've had a lot of ideas, too—like opt-in, tagged commercial posting that would allow small-scale creators to show off their stuff and grow support networks while allowing users to choose what, and how much, they want to see.

But to be honest, there are some significant challenges.

First, I don't think I can keep it going on my own, full-time. I have a career and I don't intend to be a rockstar like @dansup or in the news like @Gargron. If #Pinetta is going to happen, it needs a community.

Second, that community needs to be switched on to the realities I mentioned, and ready to tackle things like #ContentModeration, #Federation, and the rapidly changing landscape of decentralized social networks.

Third, and perhaps most important of all, I feel like whatever happens, that community needs to be both diverse and united. Tall order maybe, but unity is a prerequisite for #justice. There is a lot of dissension and dehumanization happening in the world right now, much of it pushed through online communities. To fight that, you've got to have sound and strong ethical and spiritual principles backing you up. You've got to stay humble, humanize relentlessly and cling to what unites us.

That being said, you've also got to be wise and know when to shut the door. Human minds are malleable and easily swayed by impassioned speech; that's why it's so easy to radicalize people online, especially at a time of so much social upheaval and turmoil. So while you unite and humanize, you've also got to protect your community from those who aim to sow dissension and strife. As hard as it is online, you've gotta have the perception and wisdom necessary to discern bad faith, and disengage.

Anyway, tl;dr (and pardon the digression?):

#Pinetta's not dead! As the pet shop owner said, "it's just resting".

Personally I'd love to hear from like-minded people who think they could either contribute or make connections with experienced people on this. People who can work with #Python and #Django for the prototype, people who know #CommunityBuilding and #TrustAndSafety. And, in the end, if it's meant to happen, it will happen, and we can stop making jokes about it being vaporware.

And as a little post-script to this thread, if #Pinetta sounds interesting to you and you liked what you read above, please feel free to:
▫️ follow @pinetta 📌
▫️ star its prototype repo on @Codeberg (https://codeberg.org/pinetta/proto-pinetta/issues) ⭐, and
▫️ join its @matrix space: https://matrix.to/#/#pinetta-space:matrix.org 💬 ❤️