I don’t have a Ukrainian flag next to my name, I have not participated in nor started any conversations about what is happening in that country right now. (I don’t feel the Zwift chat-box is an easy place to have serious, complicated conversations)
As this is an international event that is on the minds of many Zwifters, I have seen this topic come up quite a bit in a variety of chats in open-world Zwifting. Without fail, I have witnessed a response from others who have made replies such as ’ no politics’ or ‘I didn’t come here to ride and listen to this’.
This is something I have witnessed for years on Zwift and haven’t thought to post about it until now, at the ripe old level of 48.
My question is this: Why do people feel entitled to control the topics of conversation on Zwift? If you OPT-IN to see and participate in Zwift chat, and that chat does not violate the Terms of Service, why do people feel that they can filter out conversations that they don’t want to see?
Some days I just want to log on, ride, and not have to be pulled into conversation. On those days I turn chat off or I listen to music or podcasts. But at no point would I ever presume to tell other PAYING MEMBERS OF THIS SERVICE what they can or cannot talk about provided it’s not hateful, bigoted, violent, or crass speech.
I don’t know why I made this post. I think mostly because I was highly irritated that people who want to discuss a very real and serious subject are essentially being bullied to shut-up by people who cannot spend the 15 seconds to turn off chat.
And just to be clear, I understand that group rides run by groups have their own set of rules and have every right to curate the chat topics. But in the open-world of Watopia, if it doesn’t violate ToS, you do not have a right to tell other people what to talk about.
So you are basically saying that people who come to zwift simply to enjoy their hobby of cycling should exclude themselves from chat as it is for discussing real life issues, not cycling? The activists own the channel because they pay a subscription?
I have a idea. If passionate about a subject , how about taking it somewhere more appropriate outside games. People come to games to play and escape the real world.
I just ignore conversations I’m not interested in. I understand the need to report anything that’s blatantly offensive, otherwise who cares? It seems hilarious, for example, in these forums when people participate in a topic, just to complain about the topic being there. For some reason, people devolve on the internet. Imagine telling random strangers on a bus, on a train, or in a restaurant to stop talking about something?
I just wish we could mute chat without turning off the UI completely (and being able to mute/ignore/block individuals would be nice too). I agree that if it doesn’t violate the ToS then it’s fair game. I’d also like to be able to shut it off when it annoys me for whatever reason.
In my real life group rides most of the chat is about non-cycling real life subjects…
Cat food/litter choices, the economy, inflation, street cleaning, political stuff/debates, fishing, the police, crime, what’s a reliable second hand car, how big box stores are ruining everything, how food is so messed up these days no one knows what a real tomato or cucumber, or etc. tastes like, trying to get constantly pot smoking neighbors booted… you name it, almost everything except for cycling. Cycling rarely comes up actually.
Would you tell people to take all that chat (believe me people can be really passionate about a lot of this stuff) to “take it somewhere more appropriate outside of a bike ride” because people have come to be on a bike ride and escape life, or because it’s crowding out potential conversations about cycling?
individual people don’t, but zwift themselves actually do have that legal right as far as their own platform goes. as far as people on the platform go… if you want to talk about something, but the majority of other people present are vocally not interested … well, what kind of response do you really expect? it goes both ways
Exactly this. Its funny. There are a group of people on this forum that seek only to shut down others that they disagree with, under the guise of, “I’ve come here to ride”.
There is a difference between talking privately in a group and broadcasting what you say to everyone whether they want to hear it or not, and telling them to stick their finger in their ears if they don’t like it.
I don’t share the view that chat during a real life group ride is talking privately. The ride that I do is big and controls an entire lane, and the pack is bunched up similar to a racing pack. Within a say 25 rider bubble around any single rider, any conversation is a conversation the rider is hearing whether they want to or not.
The group rides you do in real life could have a very different layout on the road but for any real life group ride and a conversation you are subjected to because you’re in earshot, do you tell people "take your chat somewhere more appropriate outside of a bike ride” because people are here to be on a bike ride and escape life, or because it’s crowding out potential conversations about cycling?
And how is the real life group ride non-cycling related conversation that you can’t avoid listening to and just have to ignore if you’re not interested, substantially different than the free ride chat in the Zwift sidebar? At least in Zwift you can turn the chat off and not even be subjected to it.
When it comes to organized Zwift rides with leaders who are trying to give instructions throughout, pay attention to stragglers and anyone who needs help, manage off-the-front riders, keep their blob together… I can totally respect how they could insist on limiting chat to being about their specific ride or banter initiated by the ride leaders/helpers themselves.
This happens all day, everyday, in the real world.
Zwift as a company can issue guidelines if they want, and ride leaders/organizers can request cooperation. However, individual users have no authority to curate conversation in the chat.
Appreciate that. Can I ask why me saying the same thing (keeping things on topic) in another thread was removed as “abusive”? This is very relevant to the topic here… The application of community standards doesn’t seem to be consistent.
.
I do agree that a hotkey/toggle to quickly hide chat would be nice though.