Every day I’m more convinced that the Fediverse’s slow mainstream adoption isn’t really about usability.
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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."Mainstream adoption" is a very poor metric for success. Indeed - it feels it may be an anti-metric - the more mainstream mastodon gets, the less it is a refuge from that very mainstream.
User satisfaction is a much better metric. Lack of aggressive corporate presence. Fewer assholes and nazis and "influencers"- we left them behind for a reason.
Growth pursued for its own sake is the very thing that poisoned the other platforms. Let's not make the same mistake.
If your feed has interesting posts from good people and is *already* more than you can easily read in a day - it ain't broke, don't fix it. And if you don't have enough to read, ask around. We're happy to show you good folks to follow who are already here, and have been for a while now. There is already far more good content than anyone can consume with just a bit of self-curation - no need for more "mainstream", thank you anyway.
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@claudius I know, I have think about it, but that means probably dirty money. Or regulations.
@mapache I mean this in more ways than one. My favorite thing to point out is early 2010s iPhone ads. They used their 20 seconds to explain one detail about the iPhone UI each. One clip about the home button. One about voicemail etc.
While pointing out "how easy it is" they actually explained the steps that were not much more easy or hard to millions of people. Who then got their phones and were convinced these devices were easy to use (because they already learned most things from the ads).
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@mapache I mean this in more ways than one. My favorite thing to point out is early 2010s iPhone ads. They used their 20 seconds to explain one detail about the iPhone UI each. One clip about the home button. One about voicemail etc.
While pointing out "how easy it is" they actually explained the steps that were not much more easy or hard to millions of people. Who then got their phones and were convinced these devices were easy to use (because they already learned most things from the ads).
@mapache here's a big collection. Not every single one falls into this category, of course. But MOST will show some aspect of how it's used with a big closeup of the screen.
They showed what to use stuff for, why they should care and then how to actually do it. All packed into a couple of seconds.
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@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
That’s pretty much me! I try to be a little generous & patient with newbies, and it’s possible to enjoy chatting with people but get tired of their boosts etc. (I probably fall into that category with a lot of people!)
I also find that it helps to maintain a list of favourites/safe follows, and that’s where I spend most of my time. But sometimes I’m slack about moving accounts onto or off that list.
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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.@mapache yes @pluralistic recently wrote an essay about this very problem.
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"Mainstream adoption" is a very poor metric for success. Indeed - it feels it may be an anti-metric - the more mainstream mastodon gets, the less it is a refuge from that very mainstream.
User satisfaction is a much better metric. Lack of aggressive corporate presence. Fewer assholes and nazis and "influencers"- we left them behind for a reason.
Growth pursued for its own sake is the very thing that poisoned the other platforms. Let's not make the same mistake.
If your feed has interesting posts from good people and is *already* more than you can easily read in a day - it ain't broke, don't fix it. And if you don't have enough to read, ask around. We're happy to show you good folks to follow who are already here, and have been for a while now. There is already far more good content than anyone can consume with just a bit of self-curation - no need for more "mainstream", thank you anyway.
@tbortels @mapache I agree with you 100%. My feed is interesting, rarely leaves me with negative feelings (liberal use of temporary muting, or when necessary, blocking is a wonderful thing), and some days is so active I don’t even have the time to read everything on it! It took time and effort to get to this point, but it’s been totally worth it. Like most things, you get more out of it when you invest some time in to it.
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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.@mapache Completely agree with you. Bridging from other platforms is also extremely valuable because of this. I wish it wasn’t so complex for users to understand and set up.
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That’s pretty much me! I try to be a little generous & patient with newbies, and it’s possible to enjoy chatting with people but get tired of their boosts etc. (I probably fall into that category with a lot of people!)
I also find that it helps to maintain a list of favourites/safe follows, and that’s where I spend most of my time. But sometimes I’m slack about moving accounts onto or off that list.
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@tbortels @mapache I agree with you 100%. My feed is interesting, rarely leaves me with negative feelings (liberal use of temporary muting, or when necessary, blocking is a wonderful thing), and some days is so active I don’t even have the time to read everything on it! It took time and effort to get to this point, but it’s been totally worth it. Like most things, you get more out of it when you invest some time in to it.
A really important lesson I accepted only recently is: you don't have to read it all. There is no prize for finishing your feed, and there is no penalty for being "full" and stopping. And there isn't really any advantage to having more than you need. It isn't wasted if you somehow miss something - if it's good, it'll come around again.
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