Honestly, it’s mind-boggling how the top 1% have us believing their relentless greed is just the norm and that we’re helpless to do anything about it. This is particularly noticeable on platforms like Reddit, where we, the users, are the real value creators and even volunteer our time.
Just a few days ago, during the Reddit protests, the only thing required from us was to log off. However, it seemed that even this small act was too much for some. It’s a stark wake-up call, making you question how and why we don’t take a stand when our rights are truly in jeopardy.
In this day and age, it appears we’re all too engrossed in our personal lives. If it doesn’t directly affect us, it’s shrugged off. This “not my problem” mindset is damaging to us all eventually. It hinders our ability to empathize with each other’s struggles and to unite against common adversities. This isn’t the type of society any of us should want. It’s alarming to see our sense of community dwindling, and it’s genuinely heartbreaking. Maybe I’m just overthinking it, but the large number of people who seem indifferent is truly concerning. This should serve as a wake-up call for all of us. What do you guys think? (Pic not relevant)
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Well said. Louis Rossmann made a post with a similar angle yesterday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U06rCBIKM5M
But yeah, the complacency is real.
It’s funny how people are posting on reddit how reddit sucks and how there are no good alternatives, saying the alternatives don’t have critical mass in terms of user numbers, while it’s literally this beavior that prevents said critical mass.
People love to whine and talk about grandstanding. But as soon as there are even minor changes to their personal convenience, many give up and roll over.
It’s sobering but have we as humanity ever been different? Radical change is often not driven by communities but by individuals.
Personally I look at it like this. Groups of humans are by definition stupid. The larger the group the lower the average intelligence.
Therefore I don’t think communities can ever truly “act as one”. Your best bet is having enough individuals that all have the wisdom to make similar independent choices. It may look like “the community” is doing something but we’re still just talking about individuals.
Edit: words
undefined> It’s funny how people are posting on reddit how reddit sucks and how there are no good alternatives, saying the alternatives don’t have critical mass in terms of user numbers
Y’know, I’m starting to think this is a real positive.
I’ve been on reddit for about 12 or 13 years. Quite a heavy user - until I quit it two weeks ago in protest. Small thing but it actually meant a lot to me.
But now I’m realising something: Reddit was actually quite bad for my mental health. The amount of bots and shitposters, and some really toxic mods too (we weren’t all the Angels that we’re being painted like now).
And, on all but the quietest subs, if you don’t get your reply in within the first hour, or even minutes in the busier subs, anything you say gets lost in the churn. Get in first, you get the upvotes. This feeds the karma-cravings of browsing /new to get noticed and that can be very addictive if you’re that way inclined.
All of that badness is exactly because Reddit has achieved critical mass. None of it happens here. The quality is poster is better here. Sure, there’s less of us, but that means we can actually have a decent discussion like now. And also, we kinda care what happens to this system. Most people didn’t care about Reddit as a whole. Maybe their favourite subs, especially if they were mods. But over the past few years I’ve realised how the admins view the users, and it’s not nice.
I won’t be going back to Reddit.
(As for the rest of your point, kinda agree that the world is going to hell. But do please accept that ignoring the bad stuff and not keeping up with the global news cycle is a survival technique for many people.)
Well said. 13 years on my belt here as well. Deleted all posts and comments and never looked back.
I mentioned this in other threads as well, but only after quitting did I notice how the Reddit of today has actually not much in common with the site I joined many moons ago.
In the beginning it used to be a mostly text-based clunky forum type deal. And that’s how I kept thinking of it throughout the years. While in reality, more and more of the most upvoted content recently has been the same braindead short video stuff as on other social media sites. Short attention span moving images; little to no actual substance. The Dopamine Slot Machine Doom Scroller ™ patented and honed to perfection by our Silicon Valley Overlords.
It was only after quitting the Snoo cold turkey that I realized how much this kind of content was numbing my brain, how I waded through the stupid daily in search of in-depth forum-type threads, only to find less and less of it.
So yeah, all of this has been a net positive for me for sure.
Feels a bit like the proverbial frog being slowly boiled to death in shitty content without ever noticing, because the enshittification was so gradual.
So I guess, thanks /u/spez?
EDIT: fatfingers
I think for most people they have other stuff to worry about, Reddit and its alternatives aren’t that important for them. If there is an alternative placed before them that is enticing, they’ll use it. Maybe as “first movers” or early adopters it falls on us to make the place more appealing.
Also you never know, those same people might be fighting other fights in other places (offline, for example)
I agree with your points generally, but I also understand the point of view of the general user. Reddit for most people is just a nice app to open while you’re lying on your couch between activities and scrolling through some interesting/fun/wholesome stuff. The API changes are completely irrelevant to the average user who doesn’t even know about third party apps. I remember a poll on r/polls about 3rd party apps and the people who use Reddit’s app was like 95% (obviously r/polls is not scientific statistics but it still shows something).
What you’re saying is especially more relevant on platforms like Youtube, where there’s people actually having careers and their life’s work at stake because of Youtube constantly taking a dump on their platform.
What I’m mostly here (kbin and Lemmy) for is because I believe in decentralization and an open source, free from capitalist milking, internet and I want to be a part of it and support its growth.
I think a lot of it is people don’t know. And with how hostile MOST spaces have been allowed to get, they don’t want to ask. Or maybe they’ve never ever had to ask someone and literally lack the skill to be humble and do it.
So to them the CEO of reddit being a dick corporately is “a bad thing” but not enough for them to be uncomfortable or inconvenienced.
As someone who has lost many spaces online over the years it just feels like a normal day to me! The people claiming the barrier of entry is too much have me feeling suss the more and more places come out that have a UI that works if you bother to read.
I don’t have a degree in computer techs but I figured out how to apply. If people really are struggling that damn hard I have to wonder if they’re just not reading the whole screen. Most of the apps and forms are made to be used, it just feels like intellectual laziness.
Everyone can set up OBS but me but only I can figure out the fediverse? Really?
Tragedy of the commons.
I feel ya. It’s like there’s this widespread dulling down of folks, and what you’re talking about is a piece of it. I’m spotting it more and more in my day-to-day life. Do folks not remember we’ve got the internet to look up solutions for most stuff? Some of the silly things people do regularly really make you scratch your head. Like, why haven’t we done anything to get us back on track?
I wonder how many got Covid and are just living in a fog. Healthcare is so poor most places, people avoid it because they can’t afford it, and almost no one respects mental effects so they just hurry people off to get better.
It’s confounding the same people don’t want to improve the situation!
People won’t even stop supporting animal cruelty in the form of meat/milk and so on, it’s easy but people just don’t give a shit.
