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Use Fediverse/ActivityPub, XMPP (maybe matrix), IRC. Use protocols, not "apps"/"platforms". Stop using corporate-owned centralized services. Well, unless you

Use Fediverse/ActivityPub, XMPP (maybe matrix), IRC. Use protocols, not "apps"/"platforms". Stop using corporate-owned centralized services. Well, unless you like being the subject of exploitation and manipulation of course.

deadbabe 1y ago
The nuance of protocols vs apps though is lost on the masses. Most people just want to stare at reels or be stared at in reels. This means that the only people you will encounter in protocols will be privacy freak type nerds and “normal” people you might actually feel better interacting with or watching are on popular apps.
- amatecha 1y ago
  Word. Leaving the made-to-be-accessible/engaging hyper-capitalistic walled gardens requires some initiative and/or agency, which unfortunately only the minority of people are willing to bother with. Either way, I like to make it more broadly known: there are, in fact, alternatives. Ask a geek near you to try out some neato stuff that isn't trying to make you spend all your money and/or isn't trying to manipulate your beliefs etc. But yeah if the normal people are where all the ads and spam and nazis are, I'm fine being a weirdo :)
- johnecheck 1y ago
  This is Hacker News, none of us are normal :p I think it's really that highly motivated individuals will power through garbage UX that regular users won't. Upsides like decentralization are abstract, UX is concrete. You need to get the UX right to give your real benefits a chance to shine.
OhioMan2943 1y ago
Protocols are good- but respectfully at this point fediverse is basically a transgender support group.
- amatecha 1y ago
  What are you saying? Fediverse is bad because scary transgenders?
  - clemailacct1 1y ago
    They aren’t saying that - and you know they aren’t. They’re also correct. Fediverse, in my actual experience, is overwhelmingly filled with hyper left leaning echo chamber content that I’m not interested in.
    - amatecha 1y ago
      I know they aren't? The person hinted at something but didn't say anything concrete, so I don't actually know what they're saying, which is why I asked them to clarify. I've been using mastodon for nearly 10 years. Fediverse, in my actual experience, is overwhelmingly a really good place to meet and chat with interesting, friendly people. Follow and engage with cool people and you'll have a good time. If you go looking for what you don't like, you'll find it, because it's there just like anywhere on the net. The difference is you don't have to see stuff you don't want to see, because the software and protocol have features that allow this. I'm on a pretty small server and we all are pretty much on the same page about what we expect our social interactions to be like. You know you can just filter out content, right? Your server can totally block or defederate from servers that have objectionable content, too (by whatever your collective definition of "objectionable" is). It works pretty well if you use it the way it's designed to be used.
    - immibis 1y ago
      It's known that reality has a strong left-wing bias. Can you specify further?
  - OhioMan2943 1y ago
    I'm saying it's unlikely to take off because it's pretty taken over by a group fringe enough to push away the average person. I'm not being entirely fair honestly. It's the internet we're in though- the "middle ground" of yesterday that helped sites take off in the past is getting harder to find.
johnecheck 1y ago
No mention of atproto. Obviously Bluesky is nothing to write home about, but do you see some reason why the atproto couldn't be the foundation for something more interesting?

deadbabe 1y ago

The nuance of protocols vs apps though is lost on the masses. Most people just want to stare at reels or be stared at in reels. This means that the only people you will encounter in protocols will be privacy freak type nerds and “normal” people you might actually feel better interacting with or watching are on popular apps.

amatecha 1y ago
Word. Leaving the made-to-be-accessible/engaging hyper-capitalistic walled gardens requires some initiative and/or agency, which unfortunately only the minority of people are willing to bother with. Either way, I like to make it more broadly known: there are, in fact, alternatives. Ask a geek near you to try out some neato stuff that isn't trying to make you spend all your money and/or isn't trying to manipulate your beliefs etc. But yeah if the normal people are where all the ads and spam and nazis are, I'm fine being a weirdo :)
johnecheck 1y ago
This is Hacker News, none of us are normal :p I think it's really that highly motivated individuals will power through garbage UX that regular users won't. Upsides like decentralization are abstract, UX is concrete. You need to get the UX right to give your real benefits a chance to shine.

OhioMan2943 1y ago

Protocols are good- but respectfully at this point fediverse is basically a transgender support group.

amatecha 1y ago
What are you saying? Fediverse is bad because scary transgenders?
- clemailacct1 1y ago
  They aren’t saying that - and you know they aren’t. They’re also correct. Fediverse, in my actual experience, is overwhelmingly filled with hyper left leaning echo chamber content that I’m not interested in.
  - amatecha 1y ago
    I know they aren't? The person hinted at something but didn't say anything concrete, so I don't actually know what they're saying, which is why I asked them to clarify. I've been using mastodon for nearly 10 years. Fediverse, in my actual experience, is overwhelmingly a really good place to meet and chat with interesting, friendly people. Follow and engage with cool people and you'll have a good time. If you go looking for what you don't like, you'll find it, because it's there just like anywhere on the net. The difference is you don't have to see stuff you don't want to see, because the software and protocol have features that allow this. I'm on a pretty small server and we all are pretty much on the same page about what we expect our social interactions to be like. You know you can just filter out content, right? Your server can totally block or defederate from servers that have objectionable content, too (by whatever your collective definition of "objectionable" is). It works pretty well if you use it the way it's designed to be used.
  - immibis 1y ago
    It's known that reality has a strong left-wing bias. Can you specify further?
- OhioMan2943 1y ago
  I'm saying it's unlikely to take off because it's pretty taken over by a group fringe enough to push away the average person. I'm not being entirely fair honestly. It's the internet we're in though- the "middle ground" of yesterday that helped sites take off in the past is getting harder to find.

johnecheck 1y ago

No mention of atproto. Obviously Bluesky is nothing to write home about, but do you see some reason why the atproto couldn't be the foundation for something more interesting?