Bob Wertz

Choosing our words carefully

I wrote a blog post in early 2019, trying to make a distinction between “open” social platforms that thrived on interoperability compared to “captive” networks that trap you in their system. As an aside, I also noted the difference between “indie” social and “open” social and added this footnote:

I recognize that the concept of an open social network from a large corporation might seem absurd in today’s environment, but you never know.

Five years later, we have Threads, a somewhat open social network from a large corporation with a track record of building toxic captive networks. The word “open” in this case is distinct from “indie,” since no one can ever claim that Meta is a small independent company. But in the case of Threads, they do seem to be moving toward being more open.¹

I think it’s important to make a distinction, between open and captive social networks, but also between open and indie networks.² Our goal should be interoperability between our networks. The indie web is a big part of this effort, driving the technology and the open social philosophy forward. But I believe it’s going to take some of the large players truly adopting open social protocols to make true interoperability a reality.

These layers are all complicated, and how we talk about it matters, especially when talking with less tech savvy audiences. As advocates for interoperability online, I think we need to do a better job communicating how our goals will benefit everyone. Using accessible language is a big part of that effort.

Bob Wertz is a creative director, type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina. He’s been blogging since 2008.

The Sticker Mule email arrived in my inbox, but I didn’t see it at first. Instead, I saw the backlash on Threads.

Here’s the thing, I knew the owner was conservative, but it didn’t really matter to me. I’d randomly order stickers (or keychains) whenever they had a great special. And they ran specials a lot.

Many companies take stands on issues as a way to signal their values. But most of the time, those topics are carefully chosen to align with their customer beliefs. There is an entire discipline in public relations scholarship called Corporate Social Responsibility that studies this strategy.

But this crosses a line. Blasting your entire business mailing list with a political message — a mailing list that is a massive asset to your sales funnel — is just stupid.

Why? You are choosing to voluntarily spam your mailing list with a political message that half of your list likely finds objectionable. Look at the last two presidential elections. Over half of the U.S. voted against him. Twice.

And add to that the nerve of trying to use an attempted assassination to sell shirts. Incomprehensible.

Anyway, I unsubscribed. I’ve got a Sticker Mule sticker on a water bottle that I’ll cover up. I’ll find another vendor and he’s apparently got plenty of business from people that agree with him.

Bob Wertz is a creative director, type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina.