Mastodawn

Every day I’m more convinced that the Fediverse’s slow mainstream adoption isn’t really about usability.

People say it’s because it’s hard to join, the terms are confusing, or the apps aren’t polished enough. Maybe a little. But honestly… look at the platforms people already use.

Finding anything on LinkedIn is painful.
Trying to locate the original video on TikTok is a scavenger hunt.
Facebook is still full of weird bugs and odd UI choices.
Instagram hides posts behind algorithms.
Twitter/X constantly changes the rules of engagement.

None of these platforms are exactly “easy.”

People stay because their friends are there. Because the big creators are there. Because that’s where the conversation already lives.

And, if we’re honest, because these platforms are engineered around a very effective reward loop: notifications, likes, infinite scroll. A dopamine machine. You learn the confusing terms and awkward interfaces because there’s a constant reward for doing so.

So yes, making the Fediverse easier to join absolutely helps.

But what would help even more is something simpler:
more mainstream, recognizable, official accounts showing up here.

That’s how networks grow.
People follow people not platforms.

#Fediverse #ActivityPub #Mastodon

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Ewen Bell 📸Mar 9

What if it didn't matter if the Fediverse grows slowly instead of quickly? What if that was better?

I would like to see more of my friends here, for sure. A handful of them anyway. The famous people, with the loud voices, not so much. The longer they stay away the longer I can enjoy the lady in Sweden whittling spoons from a piece of birch.

And I definitely don't want this little corner of the internet to turn into a dopamine factory. That's why I'm happy here, and not over there.

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Looking for explanations…Mar 10

@ewen @mapache

It always takes a while for newbies to settle in, learn the ropes, and deal with their withdrawal symptoms. And if they somewhat inadvertently step on someone’s toes in the meantime or have an unpleasant experience for other reasons, they might leave before they have a chance to see how good it is.

Others simply don’t see that what’s “missing” here is the dopamine hits.

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Ewen Bell 📸Mar 10

@Susan60 @mapache

Yeah that's a good point. A few bad interactions can really taint your initial feelings towards the Fediverse.

Let alone the lack of dopamine.

It took a while for me to get my feed right. I ended up unfollowing people I really like in a general sense because too much of their posts were click-bait, or too negative.

It just took me a while to work out what was making my day better, and what wasn't. Which is kind of a big deal really. That's no small thing to be sufficiently aware of what is good for you. Twitter back in the day was making me unwell, but I still clung to it. I didn't want to let go of the connection/outrage/dopamine whatever. Then "you know who" bought it and I just walked away because that was too much for me. So I was lucky.

But it wasn't until after I walked away that I really came to terms with how toxic that space was. And each time I saw glimpses of that toxicity here, I had to make effort to block/mute/unfollow to preserve my safe space.

I just think there's a lot of people complaining that the Fediverse isn't what they want it to be. But in truth, most of us get to make it into whatever we want, and that takes effort and time.

Unless dopamine is what you want, in which case I cannot help you :)

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Ewen Bell 📸

@Susan60 @mapache

A lot of folks want the fediverse to magically present the ideal social media experience right out of the box. Those are often the people who are easily swayed by an algorithm that presses a few reptilian buttons.

I just figure they're not ready for the Fediverse. And that really is OK. They can join when they feel the time is right for them.