Digg:
It had potential, but after becoming an ai news aggregator now there’s none.
Lemmy:
Low engagement / kinda dead. Also, I have heard that the growth is slowing down(somebody pls provide a citation for this).
Besides that, it’s pretty much reddit, for better or for worse.
9gag:
I just made a post there, my first impressions are not good. Got insulted and my post got removed. Now, that might have something to do with me not understanding how the website works, but only time will tell. I will spend more time there to see if it’s worth anything.
Please excuse my ignorance, but should I change instances then? To one instance that it’s federated with more other instances? To Hexbear.net or something? I know my account is old but I only really started using Lemmy after I got banned on reddit a few weeks ago
Do you want to see communist content more? Lemmy.ml or something like Lemmy.zip can maximize federation. Do you want to pretty much only see content from leftists of various stripes, and want to defederate from non-leftists? Hexbear.net is nice too. It depends on what you want.
Personally, I think the best thing to do is scroll some instances locally without an account and see if you like the vibe, then transfer over to the one that fits you the best.
What if I prefer communists, but also want exposure to contrasting/conflicting views and principles? I know you advised a lemmy.ml acc, but I have been here for a few months and constantly hear about how other instances block/defed the .ml instance. I kinda hate how ppl shut out others and use lemmy to just form their own echo chamber of comfort. What instance do the moderately conservative communists prefer?
Lemmy.ml isn’t really defederated. Individual users may block it, but that doesn’t stop me from seeing their viewpoints, it just stops them from seeing mine. You could make a Lemmy.zip account, and just subscribe to the communities across instances you want to see, then scroll by “subscribed,” making your own local feed.
I don’t know what you mean by “moderately conservative communists,” communists are definitionally radicals.
When I speak of ‘moderately conservative communists,’ I mean something closer to someone who acknowledges that to survive the ecological catastrophe and economic madness, we must become conservative. We must conserve the commons, the state’s capacity to protect its citizens, and the welfare state against the ‘radical’ destruction of the market. Basically I think we should have a strong state that limits the freedom of corporations to destroy us.
Please counter-attack where I go astray, preferably viciously too.
I don’t really think “conservative” is a helpful angle due to the connotations. I think “pragmatic, and planned” are good descriptors. The advancement of green energy, the radical restructuring of society, all of this is definitely not seen as “conservative.” Further, I’m confused if you mean social democracy, or socialism proper (ie, Nordic capitalism vs. China’s socialist market economy).
I understand the hesitation with the word, but I think we need to reclaim it. If we look at the ecological crisis, the market is the ‘radical’ force destroying the planet. To be a communist who wants to strictly protect the environment is, by definition, a ‘conservative’ act. We are trying to conserve the habitability of the Earth. It isn’t about choosing between Nordic social democracy or China’s model; it is about the state acting as a adequate defense against the chaos of the market.
My issue with both choices is that both are ultimately still playing by the rules of global capital. I’m talking about a ‘conservatism’ that refuses both. It isn’t about being ‘pragmatic’ or simply ‘planned’ in my opinion, it is about the strict protection of the commons.
I understand, but at least if we are to consider the march towards communism as the continued development of humanity onto a qualitatively new level, this is a progression. We can be conservationists with respect to the environment, but certainly not conservative. To try to hold back the wheel of history is to be reactionary, not progressive.
The state is not opposed to the market, which is why I brought up the Nordic countries and China. In capitalism, the state serves capitalists. In socialism, the state serves the working classes. A socialist state is necessary for supremacy over capital, which is why revolution is necessary.
But isn’t the ‘wheel of history’ precisely what is driving us toward ecological collapse? Sometimes the truly revolutionary act is to stop the clock, to say ‘enough’ to this automatic march of progress. If ‘progress’ means the destruction of the environment, then the only way to be truly progressive is to become conservative: to stubbornly conserve the commons and our material existence against the market’s drive to destroy them. We have to survive the ‘march’ before we can reach the destination.
I agree that the socialist state must serve the working class, but I would argue that this service is inherently a conservative project. The state must act as a guardian, conserving the health, housing, and resources of the people against the chaotic ‘progress’ of the market. We shouldn’t fear the word ‘conservative’ if it means we are refusing to let the logic of capital degrade our lives. The revolution isn’t just about seizing the state; it’s about using that state to protect us.
federation certainly allows the bubble to close - {dot}world is an example; zero hate, people can absolutely choose to ensmollen their PoV if that makes their world safer. the nice thing is, interesting, thriving alter-views are only a federated instance away :-)
I tend towards the democratic socialist point of view as a default, but damn-me if hexbear isn’t both entertaining and informative, even if I disagree with some of their more… spicy(?) positions (sometimes vehemently).
lemmy{dot}ml is one of the most widely federated instances around, primarily because its a pretty diverse mix of lefty and lefty-ish ideas. lemmygrad{dot} hexbear{dot}net and blahaj{dot}zone and others equality as infuriating/interesting are all accessible from lemmy{dot}ml. its a pretty ideal instance, for me at least.
one thing I do try to make a point of doing is preferentially interacting on non {dot}world posts and comments. many peeps will post across community instances to encourage engagent diversity. keeping things active on non-{dot}world communities helps everyone.