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  • I find it funny how every time an oligarch owned platform starts getting popular people start screeching about Fediverse losing momentum. Yet, every few years these platforms inevitably start doing things that horrify their users and we see another exodus to open platforms happen.

    • I'm convinced its a combination of media silence on the fediverse (so most people don't know about it as an alternative), and younger audiences who don't know the history.

      Because I can't imagine why grown adults who know the history of these companies, would do the goofy I'll fkn do it again meme, ten times in a row.

    • I agree, but I don't think we're in the cycle just yet, it feels like there's a big tipping point we're about to reach in the western owned social medium.

      • It's possible that we'll hit a point of critical mass where Fediverse becomes the dominant social media platform, but I don't think explosive growth is necessary either. Growth for the sake of growth holds little inherent value. Unlike commercial platforms reliant on VC funding to survive, Fediverse thrives on sustainability. What really matters is that there are enough developers to maintain the platforms, people to host the servers, and users to create content. With these elements in place, platforms like Lemmy and Mastodon can continue indefinitely without the need to attract users at a rapid pace.

        In fact, rapid growth could do more harm than good. A sudden influx of users often brings toxic behaviors. When new users trickle in slowly, they adapt to the existing norms and culture of the community. But when a horde arrives, they risk overwhelming and reshaping the community in ways that trample over its core values. A steady stream of users allows for organic integration, preserving the essence of what makes sites like Lemmy pleasant.

        Unlike commercial platforms, open-source projects don’t rely on profit motives to survive. They’re driven by people who directly benefit from their work and are passionate about their vision. When disagreements arise, projects can be forked, allowing different groups to take them in new directions. Even if a project is abandoned, it can be revived by a new team as long as there’s a dedicated community. This flexibility and resilience make open source inherently more sustainable than commercial platforms, which can vanish overnight if funding dries up.

        The Fediverse, and Lemmy within it, only needs a large enough user base to remain self-sustaining. I’d argue that it’s already well past that threshold. There’s no rush to grow rapidly. Steady progress ensures the community retains its identity and values, while the open-source nature of the platform guarantees its longevity. Lemmy isn’t just another platform; it’s a sustainable, adaptable ecosystem built to endure. I’m willing to bet that Lemmy will still be around long after sites like Reddit crumble to dust.

  • we fucking said this would happen and this dumb asshole refused to defederate on the flagship instance anyway

  • Back when they were first able to federate (if you can even call their one-way dissemination of propaganda into the fediverse "federating"), my Mastodon instance didn't block them so I moved to another instance that blocked them from the get-go. I wanted an instance-level block to keep their shit off the server completely, not just an individual-level "block" which is more like ignoring than blocking.

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