this post was submitted on 26 Jan 2026
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if people are impressionable, they can be swayed. it just feels immovable because it takes time, but culture can and does change.
someone else had to convince them the landscape we are in was worth investing into, it was just not with words but fame, dopamine and a bit of cash. we could probably make freedom from corporations more compelling, because it is quite compelling.
Its easier to sway people in the worse direction with more perceived benefits than the more difficult or less appealing ideologically better option.
the ideologically better option has reasons to be better. they are just longer term reasons that have to be sold and explored to it's potential within our constraints. we have to show it's good.
the fediverse itself is an experiment in this, and i say we are growing a nice community over here that could eventually bring more people in, or at least shift perception and use of the internet in a healthier direction. not unlike some of our predecessors.
I think it is like Linux where those who opt for it are fine with some of the shortcomings being outweighed by aspects they value more.
For the majority, negatives can be things they don't even see as a con, but the shortcomings deal breakers.
I think from a small active community it is fine for users who value that more than being the largest mainstream social media option. But, not something the average mainstream user will go out of their way to stick with.
and like linux, we can figure those shortcomings out and slowly figure out how to solve them.
its ok for small comms to remain small, but something can bring the mainstream to better options, much like something brought them to the current mainstream over other niche and mainstream options in the first place.
there's budding discussion about this on asklemmy atm.
It does say a lot though that I've seen comments in this very thread suggesting rednote as a tiktok alternative. So people just doing the same thing all over again even if they use the fediverse.
I just don't have much expectations of people changing. Better to just be happy that at least those of us that are "weird" due to being fine with being somewhat cut off from rest of mainstream social media have those options now. So not too concerned about numbers increasing, since it was never much an expectation.
Old school forums didn't need more than a few hundred or maybe a thousand active users to be happy compared to the millions people have come to expect now.
i'm both satisfied with my decision to leave mainstream social media and i'd like the landscape to be better.
I think it has gotten better, since we used to not have fediverse as an option from corporate social media. And I'm happy with the level of activity.