This is a theory that’s previously been stated in log/39-normie-hypothesis.gmi, but I think it’s worth expanding on as it’s become very relevant with the recent Reddit shit-show actualizing just how bad that website has gotten along with social media in general. I think the model demonstrate how the ’enshittification’ process is an inevitability with any social media that is run on a venture capital model. An online community can be like a village, where you have familiar faces, collective experiences, shared values and so forth.

Great writing on the current Reddit saga. The author put down in words a lot of things in my mind I couldn’t find the right words.

  • Barbarian@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    19·
    2 years ago

    Could not agree more. I said basically this, less eloquently after a day of being on sh.itjust.works.

    What’s even cooler here is I feel we have the opportunity to have neighboring villages: I’m a villager in my instance, you’re a villager in your instance, and civility and understanding is promoted because we are in a real sense representatives of our respective villages. We don’t want to make our villages look bad.

    As these instances & communities stabilize and mature over the coming weeks/months, I’m very excited to see what happens next.

    • Zigabyte@beehaw.orgOPEnglish
      6·
      2 years ago

      What’s even cooler here is I feel we have the opportunity to have neighboring villages: I’m a villager in my instance, you’re a villager in your instance, and civility and understanding is promoted because we are in a real sense representatives of our respective villages. We don’t want to make our villages look bad.

      Such a nice point! You gave me something to think about now :) In a way, while you are still anonymous, the instance gives you an outside identity. You don’t have to remember the username to “know someone from the village” in a way the author describes it, the instance kinda already gives you this.

    • pootedesu@latte.isnot.coffeeEnglish
      5·
      2 years ago

      Doesn’t it feel completely different to participate in a local community vs a federated community? Its so interesting how that works even if everyone can see everything everywhere.

      • bdonvr@lemmy.rogers-net.comEnglish
        4·
        2 years ago

        Eh. You can find a cozy little community on another instance and have it feel like home. Especially if you have a “display name” which will make it hard for anyone to even see you’re from another instance unless they actually check

    • bdonvr@lemmy.rogers-net.comEnglish
      2·
      2 years ago

      Especially since “villages” can completely block an entire other “village”.

      Keeps communities that don’t want to be isolated more reasonable without having hardline rules