I’m feeling a real positive energy and community spirit as a result of the sudden fragmentation of reddit’s foundational use base.
And I love how chaotic it is! How there is so much to learn. How each new platform is separate yet somehow meshed in a way that will only become clear with time. I love the performance issues, even – just because it feels new, like something exciting is happening.
It reminds me of what the net used to be like before everything became just variations of a single beige blob. Reddit’s frontpage was essentially churn. There was value in its smaller subs, but after over a decade of use, everything became all too familiar. And looking back, I preferred reddit way more before they changed the up/downvote counter. But that’s all in the rear view mirror now.
We’re all participating in a huge shift, and it won’t be the familiar, convenient, linear path we’ve all become accustomed to. And I love everybody’s optimism and willingness to pitch in to build a better web for future generations.
Loving how raw this all feels too.
Even if all this ends up being a niche thing, I’ll still get my social fix with likeminded randoms on the internet, hopefully with less doomscroll.
I’ve certainly been more interested in commenting here vs Reddit, just because it seems far less toxic, the slight wrong thing posted on Reddit and the pile on was a real danger.
Seeing many, many posts where simple questions were asked by newcomers seeking help with the obligatory blind downvote is awful for newbies.
Interested to see where all of this leads to and very appreciative of what Earnest has achieved.
It might be rough but I’m sure ready.
I showed up to the fediverse last September (had tours around years ago but never stayed). Generally speaking, the fediverse is a very chill and accepting place as long as you’re not a dick, and stay respectful of others. It really does remind me of the web in the old days before we handed over control to like 5 companies.
I encourage you to explore beyond this one corner when you feel ready. Maybe none of the rest of it will interest you, maybe it will. But it’s a cool thing we’re building!
And shadow bans/karma limits. Had engagement actively stifled so many times from being unable to submit or those submissions being hidden.
Here, I make an account and I’m in here sharing the awe with everyone else. Simple as.
It took me a while to realise I was shadowbanned from a specific subreddit, which I was really bummed about because I’d never done anything to warrant this and it seemed like a really good community otherwise. It really limited my engagement with Reddit after that, because why bother if it’s just hidden.
I’m looking forward to seeing new communities grow here and to be a part of them.
One of the things that bugged me the most about Reddit was how it felt like everyone was constantly engaged in this game of one-upsmanship to try and seem like they’re the smartest but also the most cynical. I don’t get that vibe here at all and it’s really exciting.
Sometimes people can just be pointlessly combative. I remember I was asking for help fixing some stuff on my bike, and some guy was like “do you REALLY need to maintain your bike that much?” and it was just like… Well, I don’t necessarily do this stuff often… But I do have to do it right now. So. Help or fuck off??
Either that or trying to be the first one to post the same meme reply to the same meme repost you’ve seen for the millionth time.
-Hey, what’s a huge red flag on a first date?(nsfw)
-(oh oh!!! I know!!!) Being a dick to servers
_____-And retail workers
__________-this
Yeah. I kinda get it. It is a red flag and an obvious and agreeable answer. But oh jeeze it’s so boring when every question even remotely along the same lines gets the same replies. I know there’s always gonna be some people who are seeing it for the first time and that’s okay, but there’s kinda like a race to get to post that reply that will always get upvoted a ton even if it’s not original or interesting.
One thing that’s kinda depressing is how many Reddit threads would have some quippy pun as the top comment, then a few comments down might be some super insightful, interesting, and original comment. But it’s not as easily digestible as a one line pun, so it isn’t considered the best.
Ugh people just commenting “this” to every top comment and getting upvoted like crazy drove me batty. It doesn’t add to the conversation and anytime I mentioned it on Reddit I’d get 100 people just replying “this” underneath… Hoping that one track mentality can be different here. It’s one thing to have it happen once, but for it to be every single time someone brings it up is kinda a drag. Like ya hur dur we get it, but it gets old fast.
this
Sigh and it begins…
Was a bit of a poweruser on Reddit for a bit, and yeah, commented less and less due to the growing toxicity. Here feels more like Reddit from years back - A more hopeful, friendly atmosphere where you can just post rather than think over your post, post, then delete it because, “Wait what if the hivemind buries it?”
I started my reddit main account in 2011. I used to be a highly active mod for a niche sub for about a year between 2012-2013, before bots were widespread to help moderate. But then from like 2014-2020, the number of times where I would start typing up a response for a default sub, then just deleted it all out of fear of the dogpiling eventually just drove me to being a lurker and very passively consuming content. In 2020, I finally started a new hobby and the became engaged and active with submitting new content and contributing some comments.
I already feel so much more empowered to engage here. This actually quite civil and highly cerebral culture really gives me the nostalgia for when I first started on reddit. I have questions though for what will eventually happen with the toxics and deplorables find a home here just to ruin it for everyone else.