this post was submitted on 21 Jul 2023
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Fediverse

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I don't think the Fediverse will become mainstream. But I'm actually happy about that. And so should you.

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[–] NorthWestWind 75 points 1 year ago (32 children)

Fewer people, fewer idiots. I'm glad that people here are actually sane.

[–] RespectMyAuthoriteh 64 points 1 year ago (4 children)

I’m glad that people here are actually sane.

Speak for yourself.

[–] lemmyman 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I am ALL actually sane on this blessed day

[–] Sluggles 5 points 1 year ago

All of we are sane says us.

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago

Most people, I've definitely seen some schizo posts but they are pretty easy to avoid since they let their freak flag fly.

[–] TheSpookiestUser 7 points 1 year ago

I want the place to be just big enough that the real niche communities (mostly gaming) start blooming. After that, though, I'm good.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Eh, feels mostly the same to me. Some people didn't like the meme I posted and accused me of wanting to murder my neighbors.

[–] uselessauth 5 points 1 year ago

sounds like a normal Saturday, nothing to worry about

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[–] Wabbitsmiles 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

It's quite telling that by having a more 'complicated' sign up process and 'how-things-work' around here is able to keep idiots off the Fediverse (for now)

And I appreciate this, which means as a potential user I need to do my own background research, look around at different sources of information, lurk for a bit, before committing to a platform. And this in and of itself, for me at least, gives me a better appreciation of the 'verse' and how I can contribute to it.

From the article "The Fediverse is not that. It’s kind of… different. I mean, the very first thing you get asked when signing up for a Fediverse platform is “Which Instance?”. The signup process in the Fediverse is more complicated than people are used to."

A counter example to this 'barrier of entry' would be threads. Super easy to join, making it almost 'stupid' not to join if you're already on IG and using Twitter, without understanding what it offers besides simply being an alternative to threads (this is where I was at, could not outweigh the cons vs twitter, thus did not join)

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

I like it too honestly. It reminds me of stories about how Usenet used to be before the Eternal September.

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[–] Sarla 48 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I agree with much of the article but.. Dude, go on holiday. Billionaires and corporations make up the vast majority of emissions that are driving climate change. See the world before the rich end up destroying what's left of it. You're allowed to enjoy yourself.

[–] uselessauth 10 points 1 year ago

I know all that but I honestly don't need to. Most of my time is spent inside anyway. Sometimes I take the train and spend a weekend some place nice but that really is all I need.

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[–] davetansley 22 points 1 year ago (1 children)

There's a sweet spot, right? Popular enough to be viable; not so popular that the quality decreases.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Yes. I'm already noticing a lot more rude and immature people as the number of users grow.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago

I feel this is just a natural step in a new, growing platform/community.

Initially there is a smaller userbase tending to be more like minded/interested, and people will mostly behave.

As some get more comfortable and as more users join there will be a point where conflicting views and interests congregate while there may still be lacking people and tools to moderate the discussion, in addition to there being just the amount of content that it is difficult for bad faith content to be buried.

I think a lot of the fediverse is here now, where users are exposed to other users and content with either differing views or straight up intentional bad faith, whereas they previously were in heavily moderated communities or was only exposed to their section of content. Sometimes this might lead to good discussions, while other times it will devolve into rudeness or spite (especially with bad faith parties)

Eventually the amount of content may grow so that these incidents will be harder to notice, and/or more users will also bring more people and tools to aid in moderating said users and content

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

This is where the system of Favorite and Reduce comes in. Same concept on Reddit with upvotes and downvotes. Hopefully the community will help to filter out the noise, but again, history tends to repeat itself.

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[–] Etterra 17 points 1 year ago

It doesn't need to be. It just needs to be better than Reddit, which it is. That's enough to make me happy.

[–] xyzinferno 17 points 1 year ago

Honestly, a pretty valid take, all things considered. I can see why many people would find the headline outrageous, but reading through the article, I think it's a message that a lot of people do need to hear. And I think everyone should read what OP is conveying before jumping to conclusions.

I've seen people on Lemmy with mixed opinions on how Lemmy and the Fediverse should be treated. Some want to expand Lemmy and siphon off as many users from Reddit, while others want to keep the gates tight. Some want Lemmy to remain a small, niche community for enthusiasts, while others want the Fediverse to be a new paradigm for the maintstream internet.

I agree, that Fediverse platforms built up with donations and little to no profit incentive will likely remain dwarfed compared to the tech giants that can afford to give the public the high-end, high-production social media they ultimately prefer. As OP said, that's okay. The fediverse can remain a viable alternative, even if it doesn't become the new #1.

I think this is a message people should hear if they think Lemmy has the potential to outright eclipse Reddit at the moment, or think the Fediverse will take over the entirety of the internet and give the top tech companies a run for their money in doing so.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The main reason behind Reddit’s API changes and Twitter Blue is money. This is and always will be the driving force for companies.
It makes sense. The people need to be payed, the servers need to be run.

Twitter Blue exists because Musk is an asshat, and screwed himself out of billions of dollars, and he's trying to claw some back. Reddit's API changes are because they're trying to set up for an IPO to line the pockets of the board and executives, not just of Reddit, but of Advance Publications, the parent company.

That IPO set up isn't only about profitability right now, it's also about the profitability of reddit going forward. The effect of all the nonsense that's going on over there is that the userbase is having the critical people culled away, leaving only the people who don't understand or care. This means that Reddit The Company will be more in control of the content. Advertisers don't like their ads showing up next to porn, and it's arguable that people who are critical of the way reddit behaves are less likely to click ads (on purpose), and certainly less likely to convert into customers for those advertisers.

Did Reddit The Company plan it that way? Not a chance. They've been doing stupid things hamfistedly for a while, some might say since the very beginning.

As a counter to your opinion that the fediverse is not the future of the internet: Meta jumped in, Threads is an ActivityPub platform. Wikimedia has an instance now. I believe the Netherlands government stood up an instance. I don't know the federation status of any of those, but it's something.

The difference between standalone siloed platforms like Instagram, or Reddit, or, Digg, or SomethingAwful, or Fark, or Twitter, or, or, or -- is that ActivityPub is a protocol. Anyone can write code to create a platform to use ActivityPub, and have that platform interact with other ActivityPub content in a myriad of ways. I fully expect there to come an ActivityPub platform that really catches on, much more powerfully than any of the current ones out there.

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[–] schwim 14 points 1 year ago

Good. Hopefully, those that make Reddit the experience it is stays there.

[–] bcjin 10 points 1 year ago

Yes. Quality over quantity is the way.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I sure as hell hope it doesn't become mainstream - I don't think there's ever been a single thing that's benefitted over the long-term from mainstream popularity.

I understand that you don't want to be seen as gatekeeping, but I don't share that aversion. I overtly want the fediverse to remain somewhat confusing and opaque, and specifically so that dumb and/or impatient and/or lazy people will stay away. I think that every single person who gets confused and frustrated here and goes back to Reddit or Twitter is a net gain for the fediverse.

[–] uselessauth 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I agree that it would be beneficial to have this space be filled with people that understand it. What I meant by “I am not gate keeping the Fediverse” is that I don't want to be rude to new people by being annoyed at people not knowing stuff yet. It's okay to be new, it's okay to learn. I just want people to be willing to learn, that's all.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

Ah. Yes - I agree entirely.

[–] Nerrad 6 points 1 year ago

Neither is the internet the future of the internet.

[–] frostphunk 5 points 1 year ago

The inspiration we need

[–] moitoi 5 points 1 year ago

The future of the internet is personal. It won't be the case globally.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

I absolutely agree.

Reaching the masses and keeping all of the mass content requires money, since investors are starting to realize that gazillions of views do not necesarilly equals profit, they are asking about ROI, which in turn makes the masses-reaching platforms look for ways to monetize those views, and that does not sit well with privacy caring people, but the masses don't care about that.

I really hope the masses never fill the fediverse with their nonsensical content.

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