The mastodon and lemmy content I’m seeing feels like 90% of it comes from people who are:

  • ~30 years old or older

  • tech enthusiasts/workers

  • linux users

There’s nothing wrong with that particular demographic or anything, but it doesn’t feel like a win to me if the entire fediverse is just one big monoculture.

I wonder what it is that is keeping more diverse users away? Is picking a server/federation too complicated? Or is it that they don’t see any content that they like?

Thoughts?

  • monobotEnglish
    9·
    1 year ago

    Yes, that’s why it is so good.

    I guess we are the ones remembering how it was 15+ years ago

    • floofloof@lemmy.caEnglish
      3·
      1 year ago

      Personally, I’m pining for the internet of 1994. But it’s diverse here: sometimes I use BSD.

    • Weirdfish@lemmy.worldEnglish
      3·
      1 year ago

      Was explaining it to my girlfriend last night, and I’m sure I’m repeating myself on here, but hey, content.

      Lemmy feels so much like the early IRC or Fark days. In '93, if you were in a chat system, there was a damned good chance you were nerdy college student.

      The channel I frequented most at the time was ‘teensex’ on IRC, and it was populated by nothing but college aged kids who thought the channel name was edgy and funny.

      Anyone creeping to actually chat up teens for or about sex was immediately banned and laughed about. Even posting A/S/L got you auto banned.

      One time we had a meet up, and 20 or so channel members met at a local college campus for a party.

      It was a very eye opening experience for me. Not only was it a wholesome group of people, it was fascinating to me to compare the online personality with the in person ones.

      The guy who was mister internet tough guy was a 5’4 scrawny kid, and the kind soft spoken guy shy guy was a 6’4 football player.

      It forever taught me that what you are reading in no way represents who is sitting behind the keyboard, and that you could make real friends in the virtual world.

      I try to imagine attempting a gathering of the users from any internet space named teensex now, and just don’t think you’d draw the same demographic.

      Maybe that is the bias that makes me enjoy Lemmy so much, being a 30-50 year old programmer who loves linux fits me perfectly.

      No ads, no spam bots, no lame repeated meme responses to posts, just a small community of seemingly smart people talking about common interests.

      I have no idea how long it will last, or what it will evolve in to, but the longer we can keep out the unwashed internet masses, and avoid the pitfalls of ad driven algorithm based content, the better.

      • Black_Gulaman@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
        3·
        1 year ago

        No kids.hahaha.

        Yes, and that’s what makes lemmy special. Majority the people here have outgrown their edgy states. There is more insightful conversations and sharing of real thoughts. Less one upping of each other and no mindless one liner replies.

        Let’s treasure this while it lasts. Maybe the younger demographics will com later or maybe not. But hell yeah. I do like the mellow kind of thoughtful conversations on lemmy. Let’s let the kids have their fun on threads or whatever they are in on, they can come here when they are ready. Everyone’s welcome here. We do not need to force anyone to join if they don’t want to. As it is, we’re already self sufficient and our survival rate (lemmy) is high.

      • SwingingTheLamp@midwest.socialEnglish
        1·
        1 year ago

        Lemmy feels so much like the early IRC or Fark days. In '93, if you were in a chat system, there was a damned good chance you were nerdy college student.

        It’s possible that you were a horny college student, and then you’d be on ISCA BBS.