cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/24394554
Text for readability:
So far, Americans using RedNote have said they don’t care if China has access to their data. Viral videos on TikTok in recent days have shown Americans jokingly saying they will miss their personal “Chinese spy,” while others say they are purposefully giving RedNote access to their data in a show of protest against the wishes of the U.S. government.
“This also highlights the fact that people are thirsty for platforms that aren’t controlled by the same few oligarchs,” Quintin said. “People will happily jump to another platform even if it presents new, unknown risks.”
Was just talking with a friend that downloaded a Mastodon app a while back when Twitter was bought by Elon, encountered the “Choose a server” bit, and bailed after choice paralysis. They’re technical and have a doctorate in Computer Science so it’s not like they couldn’t figure it out, but there’s something in the human psyche where most people don’t want to make choices like that. They’re on Bluesky now and think its great.
IMO sites like https://pixelfed.org/how-to-join and https://join-lemmy.org/ should just have a normal sign up flow, and load balance between all servers that opt in. Looks like that’s going to happen for Pixelfed:
https://mastodon.social/@dansup/113830788279211715
It’ll make some people unhappy, but that’s just how you get “normies” onto the Fediverse.
If there were a good invite system you could have just shared that including a pre-selected instance for your friend. That’s way more effective than trying to explain federation to people not really interested in the first place.
"Lemmy has 42k monthly active users
- https://discuss.online/ if you want a server located in the USA (content is still accessible from any server, the most difference latency)
- https://sopuli.xyz/ if you want a server located in the EU
- https://vger.app/ if you want an app
Feel free if you have any questions"
I think that’s already too complicated. And the part about the server location is irrelevant as the person doing the invite should already know where the person they are inviting is located. It should be just a “Welcome to Lemmy, click below to register and afterwards you are shown a QR code to link a mobile app like [insert recommended option] if you want”.
Server choice affects content discoverability, I don’t think omitting that helps in the long run.
I imagine it’s difficult to just round robin sign ups like that when ever server has a different audience, and various instances they federate with.
You could have a short questionnaire that works as whittles things down based on interests or other parameters (eg. How strict you want the moderation to be or whatever). That could also be used to suggest some optional first follows.
IMO sites like https://pixelfed.org/how-to-join and https://join-lemmy.org/ should just have a normal sign up flow, and load balance between all servers that opt in.
I think the Join Fediverse site should ask a few questions (what service do you want? Where are you? What are your interests?) and spit out a small handful of suggestions. Shouldn’t be too difficult to program.
That’s what join-lemmy.org does, is it not?
It doesn’t ask where you are, just the language. As it’s for Lemmy only, it obviously doesn’t ask what service you are looking for too.
Join the Fediverse needs something much more like that but with the extra options. As it stands you have to do way too much scrolling, reading and clicking.
for lemmy I had to try 3 times before landing on this one. just toxic shit constantly pumped my way where I was blocking pretty much everything and still getting more. I still have tons of stuff blocked though.
I had to leave Lemmy altogether for PieFed to finally be able to block an instance of my choosing, without admin support. Tbf I hear that Sync and Connect can let you do that on Lemmy.
But these Category of Communities yo, they are really worthwhile!:-)
Been debating on spinning up my own Lemmy instance and was looking at piefed instead of lemmy-lemmy lol
Heard it wasn’t on parity with implementing the full Lemmy API, how has it been for you? Any issues?
.> Mind shuts down when asked to make a choice for himself
.> Is in computer science
Checks out
Decision fatigue. It’s a well known concept and can even be used in marketing as a standard manipulation tactic. If you have a job that has you making strategic decisions all day though, then you’ll get decision fatigue. Then the last thing you want to do is mull over a bunch of server details to make the right choice 🤷♀️
Then don’t. Just pick one at random. Use it for a bit. If you don’t like it try another. That’s what I did with Lemmy, Linux, fuck even the menu at this Mexican restaurant near me.
Try something, see if you like it. Pick something else if not. It’s that simple
If account migration is easy, that’s probably ideal. If you use something for a while and find yourself drawn to a specific server, and moving is easy once you’ve got a handle on the service, great. That could also help smaller communities who want to vet new members, allowing them to see post/comment history.
Why isnt there a federated tiktok clone, we have twitter, discord, and reddit, imo a tiktok/vine one has a higher chance of working, prob hella expensive tho
"Lemmy has 42k monthly active users
- https://discuss.online/ if you want a server located in the USA (content is still accessible from any server, the most difference latency)
- https://sopuli.xyz/ if you want a server located in the EU
- https://vger.app/ if you want an app
Feel free if you have any questions"
“This also highlights the fact that people are thirsty for platforms that aren’t controlled by the same few oligarchs,”
So they move (and apparently willingly provide more access to their info than they already need to) to a platform that is controlled by a different few oligarchs, as a treat… 🙄
Also, you say we’re right here, but the number of people already here praising this shit* because they’re either tankies simping for faux communists, or simply too indoctrinated to realise that you don’t have to choose one, and can oppose both oppressive states (which use almost identical tactics), is pretty fucking gross.
*and before they descend on me with their bullshit and excuses and their throwing of marginalised people under the bus for the sake of maintaining their own black and white view of the world - yes Chinese and American people communicating and breaking down barriers is good. However the idea that this can honestly and freely be done on their oppressive state controlled media, any more than it can on ours, or that one is somehow less oppressive than the other, is a joke, and so are the people ignoring the fact that both states have equally terrible mass surveillance and control over our communications.
Oligarch doesn’t mean a rich person, it means a person who controls the country with their wealth. Even the richest people in china are still at the governments behest, not the other way around like in America.
Lmmfao, who do you think runs the Chinese government, the workers?
Anyway, thanks for providing an example of exactly the kind of bullshit and excuses I was referring to.
they execute billionaires from time to time. when’s the last time a western country did that?
Yes, it’s an odd one. I was listening to all the breathless coverage and thinking “they must just not like us.” It’s like school all over again!
That said, I wonder how much of it is because it makes good copy. After all, Pixelfed’s usage has taken off like a rocket and it’s app was doing better than quite a few of the larger social media platforms:
“This also highlights the fact that people are thirsty for platforms that aren’t controlled by the same few oligarchs,” Quintin said. “People will happily jump to another platform even if it presents new, unknown risks.”
Once again…meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
the children yearn for the vines
