Does it feel like the fediverse is exclusively used by older tech nerds?
The mastodon and lemmy content I’m seeing feels like 90% of it comes from people who are:
~30 years old or older
tech enthusiasts/workers
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?
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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.
I feel this, I'm a 25 y/o software engineer and being here on Lemmy feels alright, but my niches are plenty of other things (camping, stained glass, graphic designing, film photography, etc) that I haven't really seen here at all. Thats where I find Reddit to be more diverse for me, even Instagram!
sure I could start communities relating to those niches on here, but I've never done online modding like that and honestly never will lmao. I don't have the bandwidth (mentally and logistically) to do those things
I don't blame you. You cant be solely responsible for the communities you used to be a part of, nor should you be expected to. I think Reddit is still gonna be the home hub for a lot of communities.
IMO another issue with Lemmy is fragmentation of communities. It's not really much fun to join a group and be one of 4 followers and a bot poster. I'd post more, but I still feel like I'm finding my way around the platform. Moderation sounds like a joyless endevour, so props to those who step up!
The federation isn't going to be for everyone or everything and is absolutely still in it's middle school phase. I don't think trying to convince people like you would be the way to go but to ask that you try to come back every 3 months or so if you decide to go back to reddit. It's growing really fast just since I joined so it might become what you want.
The last point is important, especially because I see people here mocking those who aren't as tech-knowledgeable than them for knowing the ABC of privacy and technology. How are you going to get more people to join if you aren't willing to listen why they're struggling to adapt to a platform like lemmy, and you think your POV is the only valid one? How do you expect to avoid echo-chambers when you're being condescending towards potential users? I swear, people just have worms for brains.
Exactly. I didn't want to say it, but the comments I keep seeing saying the barrier for entry is good get me down. It's not just incompetence that gets filtered out when you refuse to adapt.
People are really married to this initial idea of what Lemmy is and don't seem to want to let it evolve. Of all the existential threats to Lemmy, fading into irrelevance is probably the most likely.