https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_purpose_of_a_system_is_what_it_does
Seeing the world through this lens has been both freeing and disheartening…
If you think your opinions don’t matter, that the world in front of you is too great of a mountain to move, that you are struggling against a mighty machine too powerful and too organized for you to stand against, keep this in mind - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emu_War
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_purpose_of_a_system_is_what_it_does
Seeing the world through this lens has been both freeing and disheartening…
It’s been wonderful to find a home here! Hoping for many more cake days for all of us here in this friendly little corner of our beloved blue marble!
That’s new daily installs though, so cumulative number. I don’t think they’re trying to draw a comparison, just show the increase.
Reminds me of using graphing calculators back in highschool. “Can we use it on the test?” “Sure! But remember, it will only help you if you know how to check your work and bother to do so.” Automating anything blindly carries the risk of unending buckets of water or a universe of paperclips. Trouble is, it seems like a fair number of folks are confusing automation with delegation.
We have the momentum now, and that makes a world of difference. Lemmy isn’t beholden to any “engagement” metrics, so all the dark patterns that infect other social media have no incentive here. The internet wasn’t always toxic (as a general statement). People engage more in conflict than in an interaction with no winners and losers, we’re just hardwired that way. The “Web 2.0” crowd hijacked that to keep us in front of more ads for longer, “Hur-dur, number go up.” Without those institutional incentives I’m very hopeful that the strong foundation of the Lemmy community can “hug it out” with the few rage baiters that are bringing their bad habits here.
Exactly the same here! I lurked on Reddit for yeeears (like, the pre Pao days). I made one post in a very specialized sub, and three general comments elsewhere. The post went well, I got a quick answer but it really could have been an e-mail or forum post. The general comments were absolute DUMPSTER FIRES, and so I never did engage or contribute.
Lemmy has been so different, the community is smaller, but every post interaction I’ve had it feels like the folks I am engaging with read what I wrote and are making a good faith effort.
After the last ten years of social media, it’s a little… weird. But good weird. “Oh, this is what it’s supposed to be like.”
Unfortunately, it motivated people to post content that would be upvoted, which, given the state of popular posts on Reddit over the last year or so on Reddit, has become very different from “good” by which I take you to mean “valuable”.
Give time for the dust to settle, and the shitposts and memes should congregate to a few communities, which can be filtered from our feeds if desired.
It seems (given the beans) that the newly enlarged user base is in the “spaghetti against the wall” phase of posting, just trying to see what sticks.
This to shall pass.
I’ll give it a shot!
If we’re new users, where we are at now (Lemmy) is different than the sites we used to frequent in subtle but important ways.
I believe those differences are an important reason why Lemmy has cultivated such a vibrant and positive community up to this point.
I believe it is important that new users unfamiliar with the space allow Lemmy patience as issues caused by the recent influx are dealt with in a uniquely “Lemmy” way.
I believe it is this uniquely “Lemmy” way of solving problems that sets it apart from the “corporate” alternative.
It reminds me of this tradition. Especially this quote from a modern incident “Successfully counting coup disgraces your opponent. It’s a way of publicly shaming them. We believe that if you are shamed, you must admit defeat.” It makes me wonder how much of the motivation for the incidents is internal consumption. Acting aggresively, but in a carefully crafted way to avoid an escalated response. The message sent internally that the other side restrains themselaee not out of reason, but fear.