I loved the old-style forums that were around before digg and Reddit largely took over their role. Today, Lemmy is the closest thing I’ve found to the same type of culture and tighter-knit community I felt on the older forums. Finding Lemmy has completely stripped any desire for me to want to use Reddit again as the culture there feels like it is constantly working to suck my soul out through my eyeballs.

While I understand everyone has different preferences than me, I also wonder why Lemmy users continue to frequent anything but the smaller, niche subreddits. Reddit feels as if it has been decaying for a long time and there is little substance left on the wider site, while Lemmy doesn’t feel this way.

So what keeps you going back?

Is it hate-scrolling? Is it niche subs? Do you feel differently about the cultures of Reddit and Lemmy?

Please help me understand.

  • WhatWouldKarlDo@lemmygrad.mlEnglish
    0·
    2 months ago

    I was struggling with depression late last year. I disagreed with hexbear over a word definition. I got harassed about it every time I posted by one of their mods, and nothing I said was good enough for them. Eventually I told him to cut the shit or ban me. I got the ban. I just wanted to go someplace where I could be anonymous and write happy things.

    There’s niche communities on Reddit that I really like. And the size of it leads to a certain level of anonymity. I can just be happy geeking out about something that makes me happy. Lemmy is just too small for such niche things to properly exist, and it got even smaller after the hexbear ban. I don’t care enough to evade it, and I want to continue writing my posts in daily us history once I’m mentally able again. If you enjoyed my posts, I’m sorry that I wasn’t strong enough to continue. But things are improving somewhat, and I hope to be more active again.

    Life in a small pond often leads to conflict, and I encountered it at a point when I just couldn’t handle it. Now I just want to talk to someone about chemistry (not really, but adjacent). I still keep up with the news, I still lurk here, and I still love you all. I’d rather just be anonymous right now for my own mental health.

    • MeowZedong@lemmygrad.mlOP
      0·
      2 months ago

      Now I just want to talk to someone about chemistry (not really, but adjacent).

      Chemistry adjacent? The science subs are actually something I miss. Mander.xyz doesn’t really hit the same. r/chemistry and r/labrats were some of my frequent subs.

      What’s your adjacent topic?

      • WhatWouldKarlDo@lemmygrad.mlEnglish
        0·
        2 months ago

        When I wrote that, I was actually thinking about a video game. Oxygen Not Included. It’s largely a heat transfer simulation, and specific heat capacities, melting/freezing points and thermal conductivities all play heavily into your planning. The late game becomes all about engineering contraptions to change the state of matter, and I find it to be very fun. It’s also fun to share and talk about your designs.

        For actual science, I am most interested in physics. I like to watch shows on astrophysics and geology quite a bit, but I am not really qualified to talk about them in depth.

        • MeowZedong@lemmygrad.mlOP
          0·
          2 months ago

          Science experiences too much gatekeeping and as an institution is designed to keep the “wrong” people out. It’s important to recognize when you don’t know enough about a subject to speak authoritatively, but the actual qualifications just serve to maintain the boys club. You should always pursue what you are interested in even if you don’t take classes in an institution.

          I hadn’t ever checked out this game, but it sounds cool. Games, videos, and other alternatives to the classroom and reading are great ways to encourage interest in sciences and begin learning a subject.

          If I’d taken a physics class before I’d gotten so deep into chemistry, I probably would have pursued a career in physics because it’s so interesting to me too.

          • WhatWouldKarlDo@lemmygrad.mlEnglish
            0·
            2 months ago

            Oh I’m not concerned about gatekeeping. It’s more that I don’t feel I have anything to contribute really. I am very much an applied sciences sort of person.

            I have a bachelor’s degree in computer science, but have little interest in the academic side of it. I have taken many physics classes, but again, I largely steered clear of theoretical physics. I like to hear about them, and I do my best to understand them, but it’s not a career that I would be interested in. I would be far happier building bridges or designing aircraft.

            Ultimately, my physics knowledge occasionally gets used to make computer simulations, or helps me to understand new achievements in science.