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Why are so many people so fixated on Lemmy's growth? (lemmy.ca)

submitted 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) by AstralPath@lemmy.ca to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

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...relative to Reddit's size?

I see so many posts and comments voicing disappointment with Lemmy's lack of massive expansion.

I too want to see Lemmy gain more users, but I do not want it to grow to Reddit's size. If Reddit is the yardstick, I'd say that a population that large attracts a lot of negative behaviours; degeneration of discourse, amplification of echo chambers and hive mind behaviour, etc...

I started on Reddit in 2010 and found that by 2016 things were really bad in comparison. A fun and engaging site was experiencing an obvious devolution that persists to this day, accelerated by Spez's enshittification of the platform. Obviously the fediverse insulates us from that occurring here but I think you get what I mean.

Do you you think Lemmy is too small? I don't. I've been here since the great migration last year and have had a really good time. I see a lot of familiar names in the comments on a daily basis. It actually feels like a community here. I guess I just don't understand the fixation on the size of Lemmy's user base. Curious to hear your thoughts.

[EDIT] Thanks for all the responses, everyone! Lots of perspectives I hadn't yet considered.

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[-] wirelesswire@lemmy.zip 200 points 3 months ago

The smaller population overall isn't a bad thing, but it can really be felt in smaller or niche communities. Reddit's huge size is a plus in this regard, because chances you can find at least a semi-active community for just about any hobby or niche interest.

[-] papalonian@lemmy.world 48 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Yeah, I'd actually forgotten about it since I've been here for so long but the joke "there's a sub for everything" is actually completely true and one of the things I miss, even if it's an inactive community you can 80% of the time find a subreddit with a few dozen posts to check out. I used to just hit "random" until I found an interesting one. I feel like I'd cycle through all the communities on my instance in a couple of days.

That being said I love the small feeling here compared to Reddit and if I had to choose between "small community with conversation" and "unlimited dopamine trickle tap" I'd rather it stay as it is

[-] morrowind@lemmy.ml 12 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

The smaller subreddits are still good on reddit, as long as they have a good focus. They are effectively their own little communities

[-] ExtraMedicated@lemmy.world 5 points 3 months ago

Yes. I never had too much trouble on reddit, but I only stuck to specific subreddits and stayed away fron news or politics.

[-] andrewthe95th@lemmy.world 3 points 3 months ago

Yeah, my reddit account is exclusively for the communities around a couple mangas I read. As soon as the SpyxFamily and Akane-banashi communities here reach comparable levels, I will gladly jump ship.

this post was submitted on 08 Aug 2024

309 points (93.8% liked)

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