The fediverse is small, and thats both a blessing and a curse - one of its several blessings is that in a smaller space we all individually have a bigger impact on what the culture of this space is like.

On this comm (and on lemmy broadly) there’s a lot of discussion about how to grow the fediverse, what to improve, but an easy thing you can do for the fediverse is right in front of us-

  • Be kind

  • Ask people what they think, and why

  • Approach folks you disagree with with curiosity rather than hostility (EDIT: no, this is not specifically referring to Nazis. I get it, they’re the first thing that comes to mind. I’m not telling you to approve of Nazis I’m just saying be kind to your fellow lemmites)

  • Engage sincerely

  • Ask yourself if there’s something nice you can say

  • Make this small space worth being in

A platform lives or dies by what’s available on said platform and often we have this conversation in the context of “content” or posts - and we may never have as much content as reddit does. But content and posts aren’t the only thing this kind of platform offers- it also offers people. It offers community, and human interaction.

Culture and community is lemmy and the fediverse’s biggest differentiator, and we all have a role to play in shaping the culture of this space.

The biggest thing you can do to help the fediverse is make it a place worth being.

  • lautan@lemmy.caEnglish
    0·
    2 months ago

    A big problem is too much politics, feels like politics is always brought up even in posts where it’s not the topic of discussion. Just look at this post. Then if someone disagrees with your view they’ll attack you and then they’ll claim they “are on the right side”. People have forgotten the golden rule.

  • Ogmios@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    0·
    2 months ago

    Good luck with that. Volunteer moderation tends to attract some of the most toxic individuals on the planet.

    • Cris@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
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      2 months ago

      In fairness reddit also has volunteer moderation, but you’re absolutely right. I think that’s why being intentional about what kind of culture we want is so important.

      In a small space bad actors in leadership roles can do so much damage, and people intentionally facilitating healthy spaces can do so much good.

      Corporate platforms have to deal with profit incentives and the way those warp what a space is about, but we shouldn’t forget that our “new” fediverse model has its own problems well have to contend with.

      The issue of greater variation in moderator/hosts was a big issue in the forum days to my understanding, and whether a space was healthy varried a lot from one to another. Big consolidated platforms homogenized things a lot but that came with its own issues. In a lot of ways it feels like the fediverse will have to address a lot of the unresolved issues of the old internet.

      I can only hope we can learn by looking back at that history and build something better now

      • Ogmios@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        0·
        2 months ago

        Well, I certainly do appreciate seeing people like yourself making an active effort to bring some sanity back to the web. Keep it up!

  • Banana@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
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    2 months ago

    I’ve noticed most discussions i have here end with a LOT less anger and a LOT more learning and that makes me happy.

    • Cris@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
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      2 months ago

      Fuck yeah! I think that’s the thing that makes the fediverse special :)

      We all care enough about the online spaces we choose to inhabit that we leave the big platforms for something kinder. I think that’s worth leaning into :)

    • yucandu@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      2 months ago

      Because there’s fewer foreign bots trying to make you hate everyone in your country, and fewer social media engagement bots trying to make sure you stay online arguing with someone.

  • pelespirit@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    0·
    2 months ago

    I have also noticed people agreeing with someone in a reply to another comment, but the original commenter has no upvotes. If you agree, upvote. If you kind of agree, upvote. If you don’t agree, but they make a good case, upvote and then say that. Upvotes make people feel good.

  • WaitThisIsntReddit@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    2 months ago

    What about people that like to talk shit? I enjoy banter give and take. Reddit is full of soft whiners and I’m not into it.

  • WhatSay@slrpnk.netEnglish
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    2 months ago

    The last time I went to Reddit, I felt like everyone was trying to pick a fight, and would jump on me for any tiny reason.

    No point being part of a community like that, the whole place is a dumpster fire, but if everyone is either trolling or turning on each other, it’s much worse.

    I hope as Lemmy gets more popular, it doesn’t inherit those problems.

    • Cris@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      0·
      2 months ago

      I think as early members of this small online space we have to potential to cement a kinder culture that can influence even what this platform is like many years from now, with users that won’t be here for a long time!

      People tend to match energy with the people they’re engaging with. When you show people kindness they intuitively respond the same way, and when that’s the culture, I think it can profoundly shape people’s social behaviors :)

      And this space being as small as it is, we all have an outsized impact on that culture compared to something like reddit where any given user makes up such a teeeeny tiny fraction of the social interaction there.

      We can all create that kind of culture that leads with kindness and prompts others to follow suit

    • magnetosphere@fedia.io
      0·
      2 months ago

      I used to use reddit constantly, and did so for years. That level of hostility took over so gradually that I didn’t even consciously notice. I used Lemmy for a few weeks before it really sunk in that nobody had jumped down my throat over a minor, irrelevant issue (like a careless punctuation or grammatical error).

      People here tend to give each other the benefit of the doubt, which had become virtually unheard of on reddit. Even when people make replies I don’t agree with, they’re usually discussing the point rather than the way that point is presented.

      I will never, ever go back.

    • Gormadt@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
      0·
      2 months ago

      I’d say there’s also some corners of Lemmy that feel like the slightest provocation leads to an absolute dog pile of people being super angry looking for a fight.

      That aspect blows but it’s usually helped by making sure that the instance your account is on is federated (or specifically NOT federated) with specific other instances.

      Though this place is so much more chill than Reddit it’s fucking mindblowing

    • misteloct@lemmy.worldEnglish
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      2 months ago

      I swear Reddit has bots/trolls/AI designed to argue and rile you up to increase engagement. We see it in reposts/titles, why not in the comments?

  • But_my_mom_says_im_cool@lemmy.worldEnglish
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    2 months ago

    This place is becoming very Reddit, if you post anything that deviates from someone’s beliefs they call you names and insult your intelligence. So many people can’t have a debate or discussion without jumping to personal attacks and hate. It’s really disheartening. I love political debate but there’s no such thing anymore, only name calling