cross-posted from: feddit.org/post/37870004

reddit got bad because spez (the reddit admin) restricted API access to the platform for third-party apps, such that people would be forced to use the official app or web UI, both of which display advertisement and collect user data (e.g. scroll behavior).

the reason why this happened is because reddit is a for-profit company and tries to extract money out of the userbase, at the expense of the users.

another example of a bad decision that reddit made was to push a lot of ragebait (“Am I The Asshole?”) because company shareholders want to see “engagement numbers” go up, and if somebody writes an angry reply to a post, that’s “engagement”. but it makes you angry at the stupidity of the “Asshole”, so it makes your day worse. that is another example how reddit makes money at the expense of the users.

size (number of monthly active users) is not what made reddit bad. commercialization is.

we should probably get rid of the “don’t make lemmy grow, it will ruin the platform if we grow” idea.

Size and commercialisation generally go hand in hand. After all, how do you keep something running with infinite users submitting infinite content for free?

This is a big issue for everyone, it’s important that the fediverse understands that size might some day increase the importance of sensible business models or proactive funding initiatives to counter the growth. This doesn’t mean harmful profit models necessarily, but it does mean keeping revenues under control for individually run nodes or for archiving services for old fediverse domains that might not exist forever.

Nach dem #Send ist vor dem Send: Wann ist 2027 Send in #Münster? Der Send findet 2027 dreimal auf dem Schlossplatz in Münster statt: Der Frühjahrssend läuft vom 03. bis 11. April 2027, der Sommersend vom 15. bis 19. Juli 2027 und der Herbstsend vom 23. bis 31. Oktober 2027. https://send.muensternews.de #MünsterNews

@selzero @normjess

Naww, that’s cute. You think I can write a “hit” song… lol

First

This.

@TheBreadmonkey Our local zoo has just announced they will be offering tapir encounter experiences next year. My daughter and I are very excited to go.

I don’t know, size made it pretty bad. Subreddits with hundreds of thousands or more users create environments where no one is trying to have a discussion. People are just vying for attention. That creates an environment where comments are either all jokes, or all snark. It’s really, really hard to have anything that resembles a human experience in a place like that. People stop recognizing each other as people, and just treat everyone as an audience.

That makes for a pretty bad experience.

@movim

@yngmar
Here you go...
Andy Taylor (?) and Simon Le Bon are both wearing your style of wellies. 😃

So! #blender 5.3 is out. Gaussian splats, DLSS denoising, Cycles light disperson, Eevee custom lighting, much more ripple in video editor, a bunch of compositor updates, Projects system, etc. etc. Is a good release! https://www.blender.org/download/releases/5-3/

It reminds me a little of the old internet. I like how relatively small it feels, and that people post content for the sake of the content, not to promote themselves. I haven’t found my usual corners yet, the ones I used to hang out in on older platforms, but I figure that’s just a matter of time. I’m not super nostalgic for the old internet or anything, but it’s nice to find at least a hint of something human-centered somewhere.

I hope it doesn’t fall apart and that it keeps growing.

I was skeptical when I switched to Linux, but then I ditched Windows on my dual boot for good. It was a hugely positive experience, and it really felt like freedom. I’m hoping this will be the same.

And don’t be mad at me if I act totally clueless here sometimes 'cause all that is new to me.

Even if size does become a problem (SufferringFromSuccess.meme), we can always defederate a smaller Lemmy/Piefed network and call it Fedi Classic.

reddit got bad because spez (the reddit admin) restricted API access to the platform for third-party apps, such that people would be forced to use the official app or web UI, both of which display advertisement and collect user data (e.g. scroll behavior).

Reddit got bad long before they restricted API access. That's what was the final drop for many people, but it wasn't the beginning at all.

I agree that growing would be a benefit for Lemmy though. While I wouldn't dismiss the dangers of a growing community entirely, we can just defederate from or block problematic parts in theory. So I wouldn't say we're in quite the same danger as centralized platforms.

@onepict @nlnet @librecast Woo, thank you! Honestly it's such an honor to get feedback like that.

It's been an intense learning curve, but a rewarding one. As a true, concrete example, I got to spend a decent chunk of time yesterday getting to better understand how Linux TUN/TAP works - something I've kind of known existed for years, literally since back in my meshnet days, but never needed to explore the details of. I've ended every day for awhile now feeling a good kind of tired, with a map of the world that's a little more fleshed out. I missed that. It is *good* to be here.

@ai6yr
We're gonna need lots of pictures of that, for future use as metaphorical illustrations 😃

@gamingonlinux Neat news in a scene surrounded by ai dogshit