Mastodon's new "content warnings"

Tue, 29 Oct 2024 02:27:35 +0100

dynamic@hub.netzgemeinde.eu

Just took a quick look at the view from Mastodon and evidently with the latest upgrade all content warnings come surrounded by a box annotated with yellow-black warning tape visuals.

And instead of having a "Show More" link there's instead a link that says "Open Anyway."

Why would anyone want this?

user interfaces mastodon social media

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Tue, 29 Oct 2024 12:46:55 +0100

dynamic_hubzilla

dynamic@hub.netzgemeinde.eu

I think one of the things that really irks me about the new Mastodon display for content warnings is that it makes a post with content warnings look like there is some kind of problem with it, which makes me want to think twice before posting things under content-warnings, and I suspect I'm not the only one who will be having this reaction.

Tue, 29 Oct 2024 12:47:11 +0100 zuletzt bearbeitet: Tue, 29 Oct 2024 13:16:02 +0100

dynamic_hubzilla

dynamic@hub.netzgemeinde.eu

@dynamic_hubzilla

Content warnings are a *good thing*, and should be embraced and encouraged, and not just for the kind of material that might be censored on a more corporate site (nudity, hate speech, graphic imagery, excessively "provocative" content), but for content that your followers might have very idiosyncratic reasons not to want to see immediately.

Tue, 29 Oct 2024 12:49:14 +0100

dynamic_hubzilla

dynamic@hub.netzgemeinde.eu

@dynamic_hubzilla

I also think that secondary uses of the Mastodon content warning field as content titles or as a way or organizing the contents of long threads should be embraced, not discouraged. The new display sends a subtle signal that content warnings should only be used for problematic content, and I don't think that's good.

Tue, 29 Oct 2024 13:03:01 +0100

J—dV

redjives@todon.eu

@dynamic fwiw, my instance immediately did some css magic to revert them back to the old style. I have only seen the new style as screenshots bemoaning the change.

Tue, 29 Oct 2024 13:15:19 +0100

dynamic_hubzilla

dynamic@hub.netzgemeinde.eu

@dynamic_hubzilla

For anyone who hasn't seen how the display of content warnings has changed on Mastodon 4.3.1, here are screenshots of the display of one of my recent Hubzilla posts on a Mastodon instance that has not yet upgraded...

A content warning on Mastodon before the 4.3.1 upgrade. The content warning is displayed in the same plain-text style as the content of an ordinary Mastodon post, with a gray button (or link) below, showing the words "SHOW MORE" in black boldface all-caps text.

A content warning on Mastodon before the 4.3.1 upgrade. The content warning is displayed in the same plain-text style as the content of an ordinary Mastodon post, with a gray button (or link) below, showing the words "SHOW MORE" in black boldface all-caps text.

...and for one running Mastodon 4.3.1:

A content warning on Mastodon version 4.3.1. The contents of the post is in a light blue frame with rounded corners, and a lighter blue interior. The left and right sides of the frame have narrow strips of black and yellow diagonal stripes in the style of "warning tape". The content warning text is displayed inside the frame in an ordinary text face with a blue link below (and inside the frame) displaying the text "Show anyway" with the first letter capitalized and the rest lowercase.