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.
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.
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.
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
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.
Well met, fellow villager named… uh… Barbarian
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