You know one thing I've noticed on Nostr? I don't follow ANY journalists here.
Discussion
They aren’t here yet
They wouldn't make it here
When you combine the technologies of AI, cryptographically verified identities, webs of trust, and a decentralized encyclopedia, you'll be able to subscribe to updates on wikis of interest to you, vetted by people you trust. What need would be left for journalism?
The only need left we would need, after everything you’ve suggested, is empathy …because true journalism only tells us what happened…not what we ought to do
It’s happening, it’s happening! Re journalism, I think the value in that role - and the role itself - is changing. I still value long-form content, deep research journalism, but the daily reporting can be done just as well with the combined approach you describe above.
I want to believe there is still value in that, but I can't shake the feeling that journalism is in its essence just influencing.
Yep, hard to remove the journalist from the journalism, or the history from the historian…
True true
yes. & actually honest journalism has an EXTREMELY important function for helping to ensure free & just societies. “real” journalism that reports the facts or doing difficult, painstaking investigations to find truths of impactful things/people is important.
they also report in things like war, conflicts, disasters…
Nostr will be great for local news though. It has the option to be small which is more valuable the more you think about it.
Agreed - looking forward to seeing how relays might develop into focused subject-matter feeds …? Like a relay for local town news, one for local food or school content ?
Not everyone wants to be a master of the universe ✅ Alternative to Facebook would be great for small news. We had a local paper that covered local sport and what have you supported by local advertising. A shell client customised for a local relay could work.
Yes! I miss local news and community. I’ve lived away from my birth country and for 30 years now, but listen to my local hometown radio station online - it keeps me connected to the news my family and friends are living with everyday.
This sounds like a great use case for relays! Have you thought about vetting users to make sure they are local?
yea! :) decentralization is the way. 💜 not just for social “internet” networks…but definitely, the world would be better off if a lot more is localized: food, news, peace officers (police force), etc. it also helps with diversity (of leadership, products, ideas…) & so the best & most important of whatever can be shared w others…
It sounds like you would need one authority within the city who is the final arbiter of who is a member of that city.
not quite sure i understand what you’re getting at. i don’t see why there needs to be a “final arbiter” (king/despot/tyrant/…?). we currently (in most of the world) do not live in fiefdoms or kingdoms. in the states, we are a democracy. i think communities can figure out what/who they like/prefer most and what they would not accept, and that’s better done locally as a local community.
I'm just saying to have a local relay, someone needs to be in charge of a whitelist of who can post to that relay.
that makes sense. yeah, many (paid) relays need to be managed.
Local not for profits probably. Council areas could give ratepayers a code to download client. Enterprise distribution. Neighbourhood houses. Lots of mechanisms already in community. When you consider that facebook is the current go too 🦦
yeah, cool ideas. i think (dunno, really) in the uk & australia, there’s lots of well organized local mechanisms for building/maintaining thriving communities.
in general, with nostr, one of the neatest things about the decentralized nature of it is how there’s gonna be all kinds if different things/ideas from so many. the tough part certainly is about how to have the best ideas around for societies (rather than having low culture, corrupt powers, mob dynamics, etc. dominate).
Haven’t thought about that - so many things to think about 🤣.
I do believe the way relays evolve will be one of the most interesting aspects of the nostr community