The mastodon and lemmy content I’m seeing feels like 90% of it comes from people who are:
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~30 years old or older
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tech enthusiasts/workers
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linux users
There’s nothing wrong with that particular demographic or anything, but it doesn’t feel like a win to me if the entire fediverse is just one big monoculture.
I wonder what it is that is keeping more diverse users away? Is picking a server/federation too complicated? Or is it that they don’t see any content that they like?
Thoughts?
aka: early tech adopters!
these folk are always the ones trying new things, especially anti-corporate things. They aren’t keeping people away. this is just how the bleeding edge of new technology. The communities natural grow out over time as more people show up and start to outnumber them. But it’s thanks to them that niche new stuff gets supported in the first place while it builds up it’s audience (and reduces the friction to joining)
In reddit’s early days, it was exactly like this. I remember that it felt like a Linux user forum, but with some conspiracy theorists. I actually feel that lemmy is a little more diverse than that.
Maybe I’m am outlier but I’m 21 and here.
Same. And I’m also not a Linux user, I’m a Windows normie. Though I definitely do work in tech.
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I’m Gen Z, don’t use Linux, don’t know the first thing about programming (I know how to use file explorer though), and never intend to learn, and I’m here because I don’t wanna use the official Reddit app and because I’m convinced that the Fediverse is likely to become big in the future and I wanna be able to say I was here when it all began.
Woah now, who said people over 30 are old? 😮
Anyway, your average internet user in 2023 wants to sign in to a platform with ease (preferably using one tap sign in with their Facebook/Google/whatever account).
They also want that one platform to have everything, in an easy to access and digest format, without having to learn complex rules about how a system works.
The days of needing to understand a bunch of stuff to use the latest social media service are gone, and if we build a website/service that requires us to know and understand more complex stuff, and add more barriers to entry, and MOST IMPORTANTLY if we split it up in to a thousand little corners instead of having it all in one place? People will shy away.
Another issue is consistency. People, myself included, want consistency and accountability. I want the people running the platform to be publicly known figures/companies that are accountable for the platform and how they run it, but with this fediverse stuff, it can be run by any anonymous person, who could be doing anything with the private data in our account back ends. And that could be the case hundreds of times over, with all sorts of groups, from all around the world.
There’s no accountability, no way to ensure they’re meeting requirements of our laws. It’s all very untrustworthy and wild west.
That’s fine for some people, but the majority of normal users? They want security, they want safety, they want simple ease of use.
(preferably using one tap sign in with their Facebook/Google/whatever account).
Kbin can actually do this, so no reason why Lemmy couldn’t
Hmm, not sure. But I’m in my 20s and I love to advocate for privacy and decentralization.
*looks at self*:
- 40
- nerd
- chief amongst my nerddoms being tech
I feel both insulted and understood at the same time
Trash culture, TikTok and the likes. The gen z folx I know don’t seem to prioritize privacy and quality content. Some know it and don’t seem to care even after getting hacked/scammed.
Living vicariously through influencers, likes, and whatnot. Being cool, blending in…
There just needs to be automatic instance assignment for new users with registration time opt-out for those who want to choose. Pick whichever one is the most populated. If that’s down at that particular moment in time, pick the next most populated and so on. Take the instance picking out of the equation for people who don’t care about that. People who do care can still pick their own.
That being said, it’s difficult to grow a new website in general unless it’s already got established backing from other source (i.e. a large corporation, celebrity, etc.), It’s not like old days in the 90s when there were far fewer websites in general.
Most populated? That would slow them down. join-lemmy.org already discourages instances above a certain size threshold.
Older? It seems the general lemmy population is in their early 20s.
I’m 36. I’m tired of everybody taking my money. I’m tired of corporations. I’m here to get away from that.
- ~30 years old or older
- tech enthusiasts/workers
- linux users
- hates Elon Musk
- hates capitalism
- loves free software but somehow hates free markets
I’m a younger tech nerd, but I do use linux.
My 15 yo ass
I think so. I think younger users trust official branded apps a lot more so actually see the Reddit app as safer. Despite how easy tech people think lemmy and mastodon are, picking a server just isn’t a feature to non-tech people - it’s an obstacle to getting started.
The lack of content is a problem, but the lack of community feeling is the actual offputting part. Having bots repost things from Reddit kills the organic feeling of interacting with another user.
I’ll probably be flamed but I do think having such a homogeneous userbase is negative. It means you don’t get a wide array of experiences and viewpoints. People bang on about echo chambers online, but if you are in a club full of old white guys then you’re in one!
I’d like think we can make these platforms as welcoming for everyone of all backgrounds, genders, etc, but there’s just some things we can’t understand without having those viewpoints being represented.
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