According to one of the latest kurzgesagt videos we all should be in smaller communities like this and large ones like Facebook and Reddit are generally bad for our mental health.

https://youtu.be/fuFlMtZmvY0?si=5Wd0-_6Z1pNUuQZR

[–] Stamets@lemmy.world 58 points 10 months ago (4 children)

Well a few months after leaving reddit I do feel a lot better in general so I'm not surprised.

I go back occasionally to check for something or just to see what things are like. I dunno if it's just gotten insanely more toxic since July or if it's just been that way for a long time but oh my god. Every comment section is just angry and bitter and hateful. I was looking at a post yesterday and thought it was cute and interesting so I open the comments. Every single one of them were either saying it was fake, that it was stupid, that it was cringey, that it didn't make sense, etc. It's like no one has an ounce of positivity on that site.

[–] Seraph@kbin.social 32 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I see OPs point - fucking Stamets replied to me! Good stuff. Love it!

[–] Stamets@lemmy.world 35 points 10 months ago

[–] Nepenthe@kbin.social 14 points 10 months ago (1 children)

It's really a mix of both. More heavily the way the site has been for years because people love drama more than anything else. If you want the sweet serotonin of karma, you've gotta be simultaneously the funniest, meanest, and most jaded person in the room, and everyone is jockeying for that position.

It just breeds assholes by design. I've noticed my own behavior has changed, too, since leaving that place, although partially that's because I just didn't want to be like that anymore.

But it really has been noticeably affected since the protests. I was originally trying to stay for one single sub I was in, because they were the kindest, calmest community I'd met since back when forums were a thing.

Just the best group, for reasons none of us really understood and some of us kept trying to find psychological commonalities to explain. Truly 98% of them were people I'd chill with irl and I still know a few on discord. And also here. If you're reading this, hello!

But the migration away was enough to completely alter the atmosphere imo. A lot of the more conscientious users left for other pastures, leaving behind those that were more neutral or even openly hostile about the protests.

There began to be fights and insults thrown where before this, any aggression had been unusual. The posts took a turn that reflected that feeling and I really stopped bothering with the place after a few months. I'm still a bit sad about it and there are things that I miss, but there just wasn't enough to hold me anymore. It seemed to increasingly echo every other part of the site.

For the moment, this place is quieter but better. We still get dumb shit every now and then, but it's not to the same degree and hopefully never will be. As above, I blame the demographic. We've grouped all the people with stubborn morals into a little room and it turns out they have things in common. I do miss a couple people I used to see everywhere all the time when kbin first ramped up, but we run in different circles and they've gotten lost in the crowd.

And yes, btw, I am also going to name you one of my favorite users to see around. You seem as kind as you are prolific.

[–] Stamets@lemmy.world 9 points 10 months ago

That makes sense. I know that when I was active on reddit I was way snarkier. Still comes out occasionally but it was just a lot more common. I do remember having to specifically limit myself when I first started posting to not get bitchy towards people for no reason. Kind of disappointed in myself there. I'm glad that's at least paid off in people think I'm kind. I'm really not but I appreciate the compliment <3

Those protests really did demonstrate just how bad things had gotten. I don't think I remember anyone ever casually discussing what was going on. I remember commenting once saying how the Spez was a mod of Jailbait thing is overblown because anyone could be added as a mod at that time without them having to accept it, much like how Lemmy currently works. I was added as mod to /c/Gay in the same fashion. Someone just added him and he didnt realize. Downvoted to high heaven because it wasn't pure bashing of him. There are so many things to hate about Spez and that situation but I'm gonna stick to ones that have some weight.

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[–] GuyDudeman@lemmy.world 9 points 10 months ago

I don’t know about that. I feel like being a big fish in a small pond puts the spotlight on you more, leading to caring a lot more about whether or not your contributions are received well. And when you don’t follow the zeitgeist of the small community lock-step, that can cause lots of anxiety and lead to more mental health problems.

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[–] grue@lemmy.world 47 points 10 months ago

There's two reasons for that:

Lemmy is still small (compared to centralized social media).
We all chose to be here instead of mainstream social media for a reason, so we've all got something in common.

[–] solidgrue@lemmy.world 35 points 10 months ago

I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.

Most of you are alright.

[–] Blaze@discuss.tchncs.de 34 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Yes, that's one of the nice aspects.

Thanks to @throws_lemy@lemmy.nz and @BrikoX@lemmy.zip for their tech posts, and @ZeroCool@slrpnk.net and @realcaseyrollins@narwhal.city for the movies posts, you guys rock

[–] ZeroCool@slrpnk.net 12 points 10 months ago

Back at ya Blaze, it’s always a pleasure running into the other moviesandtv regulars!

[–] throws_lemy@lemmy.nz 7 points 10 months ago

[–] OperationPuppet@lemmy.world 33 points 10 months ago

I would suggest there’s also a lot of lurkers and folks who just don’t post much. I’ve noticed The Fediverse has a good and healthy number of folks on the Autism spectrum, and it’s not surprising they don’t actively post a lot.

It’s a lesson I learned being a professional puppet builder (yes you read that right) and running a little community around the craft. There’s a lot of people on the spectrum in that field too. They may not post a whole lot, but they are definitely engaged.

The freedom to have a voice is also the freedom to remain quiet 😁

[–] BiggestBulb@kbin.run 31 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Sometimes I feel like @The_Picard_Maneuver@startrek.website literally keeps my feed (and all my subscriptions) alive. Thank you for your service 🫡

[–] The_Picard_Maneuver@startrek.website 23 points 10 months ago

[–] Sekrayray@lemmy.world 30 points 10 months ago (5 children)

It’s like back in the day of Internet forums. I don’t mind it at all.

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[–] JohnDClay@sh.itjust.works 28 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Mostly only the very active users moved over from Reddit, so we have a lot of content for not as many people. But it's nice how active and invested most people here seem to be.

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[–] DingoBilly@lemmy.world 25 points 10 months ago (8 children)

That's generally not a good thing...

That means it's more likely to be an echo chamber or just bots auto posting...

You want a lot of diversity - within specific groups sure, the same names are fine but across groups that's a bad sign.

[–] TJDetweiler@lemmy.ca 13 points 10 months ago (2 children)

It'll largely be an echo chamber regardless of size. The fediverse tends to lean into tech, and is very left wing. If you don't fit the bill, you are either driven off, de-federated with, or realize the content posted here isn't what you're looking for, and you leave.

I don't mind the small knit community, as I agree with most stuff, but this simply isn't a place you can host competing ideas, or at least not feasibly. This isn't a place for open discussion. You get down voted for your opinion, even if it is a shitty one. This isn't the fediverse I want to see. I want to see people upvoted for their opinion, and enticed to engage with whatever discourse is present, regardless of views. Downvotes should be reserved for trolls, bots, and fascists. Everyone else should be welcome.

[–] Rincewindnz@lemmy.world 8 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Is there somewhere online where you can have an "open discussion"? I've been struck a few times by how some ideas (even presented in a balanced way) just get downvoted hard.

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[–] Neil@lemmy.ml 24 points 10 months ago (9 children)

I have a really bad habit of never looking at anyone's names..

[–] RalphFurley@lemmy.world 8 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Well, Neil, isn't that a little selfish of you!

[–] Neil@lemmy.ml 10 points 10 months ago

Yes, whoever you are.

[–] hightrix@lemmy.world 7 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Same, but it is a trained habit. I purposefully do not want to look at usernames.

[–] ComradePorkRoll@lemmy.world 10 points 10 months ago

You'll be having a perfectly nice conversation only to look up and see you're talking to "uwu_yes_daddy" or "aryan_enjoyer88."

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[–] intensely_human@lemm.ee 17 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Yeah it’s like a village!

[–] Resol@lemmy.world 10 points 10 months ago (4 children)

Lemmy is basically my own Animal Crossing.

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[–] Poem_for_your_sprog@lemmy.world 16 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I don't know how to knit, but it does seem to be gaining in popularity.

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[–] ilovecheese@mander.xyz 15 points 10 months ago

Same ol' faces... Almost has the feel of forums of yesteryear...

[–] originalucifer@moist.catsweat.com 14 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

needs human momentum. every bit counts.

[–] cupcakezealot@lemmy.blahaj.zone 13 points 10 months ago

as a former resident of the infopop forums, i liken the fediverse to bulletin boards in the 90s and early 2000s and it's nice - the kind that were super hyper localized by topic but everyone was friendly. :)

[–] ShaunaTheDead@kbin.social 13 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (2 children)

I wonder if others have some favourite posters that you they quite often?

For me, it's @Stamets and ThePicardManuever but I've noticed a couple other prominent posters lately although their names haven't stuck for me just yet.

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[–] technomad@slrpnk.net 12 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (2 children)

I definitely recognize some of the mods, and some of the key players in the communities that I follow. There's good people here, and I believe it's going to keep getting better.

I wasn't paying attention to usernames as much when I first started. For whatever reason, I've started to pay attention to the names, as well as the instances. I like seeing where people are commenting from, and it even gives some insight into places or things I might be interested in as well.

Sometimes I'll check out a person's profile to see what things they're commenting on. This feels kind of creepy a little bit. I don't think anyone really cares though, so long as you're not being abusive or something.

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[–] MNByChoice@midwest.social 10 points 10 months ago

I had not, but I don't read the names. I will endeavor to notice. Thank you for the heads up.

[–] Franconian_Nomad@feddit.de 10 points 10 months ago

I love it here on lemmy and it looks like the recent federation problems have been resolved.

So I‘m looking forward to lurk less and interact more in future.

Let us all build a better Reddit!

[–] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 9 points 10 months ago (2 children)

I'm like Visa. Everywhere you wanna be.

[–] FilthyHookerSpit@lemmy.world 9 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I see you in almost every thread I read lmao. Thanks for contributing to discussions. Something I should try to do more.

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[–] neurospice@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 10 months ago

Yeh it does feel rather close. It's quite nice honestly

[–] Badeendje@lemmy.world 9 points 10 months ago (9 children)

Yup, it's fun. And im happily blocking all the tankies in between the great people. Account name like StalinSomethingSomething.. nope.

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[–] sag@lemm.ee 8 points 10 months ago (7 children)

Hmm, I will be glad if someone remember my name. I just post to fill the gap in communities.

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[–] sour@kbin.social 7 points 10 months ago

[._.]

[–] slowwooderrunsdeep@lemmy.world 7 points 10 months ago

I ain’t seen you round here, stranger…

[–] Rentlar@lemmy.ca 7 points 10 months ago

TL:DR; I agree and I love it here!

Yeah it certainly feels that way to me too. I can't speak for the rest of the Fediverse platforms (Friendica, Misskey, Mastodon, etc.) but Lemmy is certainly a tight-knit, active and generally friendly group...

You should have seen how it was like here before May this year, when there were only a few dozen users that posted or commented anything at all across all servers, call that tight knit.

Still, I'm so proud of everyone for help in keeping a friendly vibe for the most part, and for user reporting and mod actions keeping trolls at bay. There was quite a bit of concern that when people migrated from Reddit en masse that it Lemmy would be taken over by the same uninspired drivel or become a Reddit repost site. What we got are very healthy meme and shitpost communities with shitposters who engage with commentors, tech news, politics, environment news with active discussions where people have disagreed with each other without getting in a complete rage about it, and cute animal pics like !aww@lemmy.world and !superbowl@lemmy.world.

There's still progress to be made on parts of the technical, moderation and community sides. For my part, I'm trying to post more and my goal this year is to share a lot pictures of the cityscape to Lemmy.

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