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.

Great writing on the current Reddit saga. The author put down in words a lot of things in my mind I couldn’t find the right words.

    •  jherazob   ( @jherazob@beehaw.org ) English
      11·
      2 years ago

      As long as you stayed in small, well moderated subreddits you did find what the OP describes as a community, i for one tended to shy away from the big ones and specially the default biggest

      •  mobyduck648   ( @mobyduck648@beehaw.org ) English
        9·
        2 years ago

        The problem is that smaller subs could be Eternal Septembered almost overnight by getting onto /r/all and being swamped by people with no interest in following the established norms. The UK politics sub after Brexit for example was never the same again.

        •  realslef   ( @realslef@fedia.io ) 
          1·
          2 years ago

          UK politics after brexit hasn’t been the same. The penalties for lying in that vote campaign were too weak and the offenders are only now starting to suffer the consequences of continuing in that manner.

    •  Hamartiogonic   ( @Hamartiogonic@sopuli.xyz ) English
      6·
      2 years ago

      I’ve noticed that it really matters which subs you read. I tried to make my reddit experience a bit more serious, so that I wouldn’t be just joyscrolling cat gifs all day and doomscrolling hate news all night. That’s why I focussed a lot on Linux, FOSS, science, technology, engineering, maths, statistics, biology, physics, chemistry subs and stayed away from subs that were more focused on entertainment and jokes etc. That’s probably a big reason why I didn’t see that many jerks.

      •  jmp242   ( @jmp242@sopuli.xyz ) English
        4·
        2 years ago

        I had the same experience. That said, I also was apparently in mid sized subs, or the ones that were sort of Q&A (sysadmin, askphotography) so I never saw a sense of community. I might recognize 5 usernames as having good or bad answers / comments, but being topic focused (even tv or movies was like this) I never really formed any kind of connection.

        The closest I could see like that is actually on things like the subs discord where you’re kind of shooting the shit a lot more, and it seems more ephemeral. Like Photography discord has an off topic and a computer and a tv channel as well as a lounge / anything channel. These are the photography people talking about other stuff too so you kind of can get to know them. On reddit these are all different subs, so you’ll never get the photography subs feeling about the latest anime…

        Idk, I also may just be strange.