[Outdated, please look at pinned post] Casual Conversation

Mentioned it elsewhere, but Mastodon continues to be one of the best social media experiences I have ever had (look, it isn't as low of a bar as you would expect but still...). Something about the nature of Mastodon means people actually talk to each other and try to elaborate on talking points. My theory is it is because basically everyone on there knows it will never be "the new twitter" and are instead focused on being what twitter should have been.

Whereas lemmy... Lemmy is like going on a date with someone who just got out of a long term relationship. They can't stop telling stories about when they were with their ex or comparing you to them. And... when you head back to their place after drinks they keep joking about whether they can film themselves giving you a blowy and sending it to their ex to show just how over him they are.

Combine that with a much more lax policy toward piracy and a LOT of "I just learned what linux is and anyone who doesn't use it is a sheeple" college kids and... yeah. Plus, I have definitely gotten the vibe that a few people want to become one of the big "personalities" of the platform.

Honorable mention to Cohost. I think people have really done a good job of making it feel like something special. But it also feels like everyone isn't sure how horny/weird they should go on nu-tumblr.

I have noticed a much stronger contingent of Tumblr vibes. I wish I got more humor, but instead I get this gestures broadly.

It's the brooding sensitive types that crumble under humor or criticism that I see most. Maybe I'm the antagonist of this story but I feel like I've made more people cry on lemmy than I've made laugh or change minds, and I'm not the even the mean reddit type.

Edit: a word

lot of it has been smartasses that seeming only care about broadcasting their opinion

Honestly, I have not really experienced that much at all. Sure there is the odd case of it but blocking the odd user or sub seems to fix that pretty well.

It may well be that your instance is federated with some of the problem ones and mine is not but I haven't really paid much attention to the federated/defederated stuff.

I have seen several posts of people complaining about the users of a periarticular instance (there are a few recurring ones) but I haven;t a seen it despite spending a bit of time browsing /all.

I've seen individual instances like that, but ofc ymmv. Curate what you do not enjoy, and maybe consider switching instances even if need be, to get something acceptable to use. Life is too short to waste your time otherwise - there will always be trolls, so let them troll, but you don't have to choose to share the same space as them!

Although ofc some amount of that is going to happen no matter where you go, so it's a matter of degree (and also of kind, in terms of new levels of severity) depending on your instance, the magazine you are in, etc. Even so, blocking can work wonders for someone who simply ruins every single conversation they are involved in without ever contributing positively. It is not your responsibility to help train everyone around you to live life, if you do not want to! It is nice to have choices, sometimes:-).

It's a fine line between information between smug comments and expected internet room meme banter.

I just want to learn without being judged and there's always a place for funny comments with some nuance. I don't want to be talked down on for not "knowing it the right way" or only see callback comments to that one funny thing 7 years ago, y'know?