It’s the network effect. It’s always the network effect.
Your current platform enshittified. Where do you go? Well, the majority of people are going to Bluesky, and it’s familiar in terms of UI, so you go there. Sure, you could convince someone like that to try something like Mastodon, but Mastodon is comparably much smaller than Bluesky, so its intrinsic value to people is substantially lower, not to mention the fact that without an algorithm, most of these users have no clue how to curate a feed, since every platform has an algorithm now. A lot of these people will have never used an algorithm-less platform in their entire life.
The same goes for Reddit vs. Lemmy. Reddit has much more users than Lemmy, more niche communities, higher engagement, etc. Why move somewhere that’s identical in function if it’s smaller? Your current platform works well enough.
I think it’s easy to underestimate how much censorship and enshittification people are willing to put up with. People will put up with a lot before they switch platforms. Reddit not letting people publish a person’s manifesto isn’t gonna convince many people to abandon their entire accounts and communities and to switch to Lemmy.
It literally took Twitter being rebranded into oblivion, and turned into an explicit safe haven for fascists and far-right freaks, with an algorithm deboosting non paid-for content multiple times over before people really started flocking out in large numbers.
I think it’s easy to underestimate how much censorship and enshittification people are willing to put up with. People will put up with a lot before they switch platforms.
Coming to Lemmy means losing some of the really well supported niche communities from Reddit of old and that was the biggest hit of leaving, but the site being such cancer now I wonder how well they are doing anyway.
Lemmy, once you’ve blocked 90% of the weird tankies, really does feel like Reddit from 10+ years ago in the comments. It’s just a shame due to its current small size how single minded the general feed often feels. Hopefully that improves
One issue with alternative smaller platforms can also be them becoming cesspools of users banned from the big platform. The first couple of Reddit alternatives quickly collected the racists and jailbait porn.
A viable alternative platform needs more than extremist niches.
Too true. The first lemmy instance I signed up for shut itself down without warning within a week of me signing up because they’d accidentally federated with a CP instance and their country’s government could have ended up putting the instance’s owner in jail for it.
Why do people still use reddit? why do people still use twitter? why are people using bluesky thinking it’ll be different??
It’s the network effect. It’s always the network effect.
Your current platform enshittified. Where do you go? Well, the majority of people are going to Bluesky, and it’s familiar in terms of UI, so you go there. Sure, you could convince someone like that to try something like Mastodon, but Mastodon is comparably much smaller than Bluesky, so its intrinsic value to people is substantially lower, not to mention the fact that without an algorithm, most of these users have no clue how to curate a feed, since every platform has an algorithm now. A lot of these people will have never used an algorithm-less platform in their entire life.
The same goes for Reddit vs. Lemmy. Reddit has much more users than Lemmy, more niche communities, higher engagement, etc. Why move somewhere that’s identical in function if it’s smaller? Your current platform works well enough.
I think it’s easy to underestimate how much censorship and enshittification people are willing to put up with. People will put up with a lot before they switch platforms. Reddit not letting people publish a person’s manifesto isn’t gonna convince many people to abandon their entire accounts and communities and to switch to Lemmy.
It literally took Twitter being rebranded into oblivion, and turned into an explicit safe haven for fascists and far-right freaks, with an algorithm deboosting non paid-for content multiple times over before people really started flocking out in large numbers.
People use the Internet without an adblocker
Coming to Lemmy means losing some of the really well supported niche communities from Reddit of old and that was the biggest hit of leaving, but the site being such cancer now I wonder how well they are doing anyway.
Lemmy, once you’ve blocked 90% of the weird tankies, really does feel like Reddit from 10+ years ago in the comments. It’s just a shame due to its current small size how single minded the general feed often feels. Hopefully that improves
It doesn’t have anywhere near enough of the weird transformation porn I like to be Reddit from 10 years ago
Be the change you want to see in the world! 😉
I’ve been around the internet basically since the internet and still learning new things every day…
Wtf is that lol
Drawn images of things like chicks having their booba get bigger because of magic or dudes turning into anthropomorphic horses… Stuff like that
And that’s just the tamer stuff.
I’m curious, what do you mean when you say “tankie”? It’s a word that’s used to mean so many different things these days
!meanwhileongrad@sh.itjust.works
One issue with alternative smaller platforms can also be them becoming cesspools of users banned from the big platform. The first couple of Reddit alternatives quickly collected the racists and jailbait porn.
A viable alternative platform needs more than extremist niches.
Too true. The first lemmy instance I signed up for shut itself down without warning within a week of me signing up because they’d accidentally federated with a CP instance and their country’s government could have ended up putting the instance’s owner in jail for it.
Removed by mod
And while we’re at it, why the fuck is the water wet?
Water is wet?
Blue sky is different. No elon
Until some other fuckwit buys it out (my pessimism says they’ll never get around to making it truly federated).
Most social media has no Elon.