jklb.social Dev Notes: the Like Chorus Explained

The Like Chorus

On jklb.social, the profile pictures of the last dozen or so people to interact with you are displayed along the top and left-hand banners of the screen.

It's the Like Chorus.

The Like Chorus: it's like classical greek theatre

I never studied or cared much for classical greek theatre. But some of my favorite people (teachers, mentors, peers etc.) are really into it. Some of them never shut up about it, actually. Always bringing every conversation about performance back to the Greeks.

So when I was trying to think of what to call this collection of people-who-have-recently-interacted-with-you, I kept thinking of it as the Chorus and the name stuck.

The jklb.social UI has two areas:

The Stage is simple: It's most of the screen, and only one thing can be there at a time. You focus on whatever is on the stage. You press 'j' when you're ready to see something new.

The Like Chorus is the header and right-hand column. It is filled with avatars of the people who have most recently given you an in-bound interaction. (new followers, people who liked a post of yours, etc.)

They are the chorus. The witnesses. They see you. And they are "with you" as you participate in social media.

The Like Chorus: it's like having friends/acquaintances in real life

In real life, you develop relationships with people who you keep seeing whether by mutual choice or circumstances (like a job).

On social media, when someone interacts with you you get a little notification...but that's it! The notification itself is tiny, and lost in a sea of other notifications which may have no human source at all.

The Like Chorus is an artificial way to mimic real life. Keep the people who see you in your sightline. If you use jklb.social regularly you'll notice some of the same people popping up in your like chorus again and again. Those are your people.

The Like Chorus: it's like scribbling an affirmation on the back of your hand before taking a psychedelic

Social media is a drug. Show me weird shit on social media, I'll show you drug-seeking behavior.

The year in my life I took psychedelics, I was fortunate to do so under the guidance of some surprisingly sober folks (lol) who took best practices seriously.

One thing they suggested to do beforehand was to scribble a short message on the back of my left hand. I wrote two words, which were feedback a friend had given me on a script I was writing at the time.

During the trip, those two words were always just right there. A subtle reminder of my friend, his kindness, and his belief in me.

Taking any drug, you are giving up some control. That's kinda the point. With social media, you are volunteering to see a stream of posts that will make you feel things. The Like Chorus is just some friendly faces (& avatar artwork) to keep in your periphery while you watch the posts go by.