This is a rant post and I apologize but I had to talk about this. Most subs are coming back online and not saying ANYTHING about the next steps. Only a handful of subs are going indefinite. I checked the front page for the first time today after leaving the a couple hours before the day of the blackout and what do I see? Subs are up, and comments and upvotes are up to the general average before the blackout.
I checked r/gaming to see their recent post (WHICH HAS OVER 68k UPVOTES), and I see a comment with over 500 upvotes saying in a nutshell, “You guys need to calm down, they’re a company and need to make money”.
Along with a couple other comments saying similar things. Are you fucking serious? You can’t even have the fucking balls to say, “This is a company that has consistently screwed over its users and I need to take a stand and quit my addiction”? You’re just gonna sit and do nothing? Fuck you. You’re no fucking better than u/spez. You’re all a bunch of fucking hypocritical liars for shitting on spez and the admins while talking about how you’re “done” with Reddit and you won’t support this.
Go touch grass you fucking addicted cowards. I’m glad I made the switch to Lemmy if it means I don’t have to interact with dumbfucks like you.
As a lifelong coder and Free and Open-Source Software (FOSS) champion, I’ve come to a critical realization: the majority of folks are tech-disinterested to the point of stubbornness. A whopping 80% won’t lift a finger to make their digital lives better, not even if it means spending a measly five minutes. Tech nuances, innovations, platforms? They couldn’t care less. But guess who loves these tech-phobic masses? Big Tech, that’s who. These are their dream users, the last to hop onto any tech trend, yet the most dogged in clinging to their tools till they’re six feet under.
However, the remaining 20% exhibits a different dynamic. An 80-20 split reigns here too. The larger slice contains folks who will actually consider switching things up, give new tech a shot, learn a thing or two. The tinier sliver? Those are the folks ready to take on the tech titans, to build fresh software to go toe-to-toe with them. Their ranks may be small, but don’t underestimate them. Some even hit the jackpot (Linux, for instance).
I think it’s important to note [while not disagreeing with you] that the majority of people are exhausted right now. They’re working more hours for less buying power, their social lives are riddled with new anxieties and barriers of entry, their preconceived notions are being challenged in new ways. It might seem like a small service to change your online habits, but for many people I believe it’s natural to freeze when faced with this type of dilemma. “I’d rather embrace the evil I know” type of thing.
I’m excited for this platform and to see where it goes! I think it’s a good fit for me. And a part of why it’s a good fit for me lies in the fact that the people who are here are the type of people to take the plunge and try something new (even if there’s a learning curve).
The amount of people I’ve met who make the concious decision not to install even an adblocker is insane. Its a process that takes a minute at worst but they still refuse.
Yeah, figured that out back when everyone jumped to MSN Messenger instead of better alternatives.
The 80% wont jump on anything until they think its used by a majority. Thats what advertisements are doing. And social pages givng friend suggestions. And apps asking for permission to read your contact list.
Lemmy doesnt stand a chance against any company big enoug to advertise.
I disagree with this to be honest. I think that people are starting to see the cracks in what Big Tech is doing, and slowly, once enough people switch and Big Tech platforms become worse and worse there is gonna be a shift. I mean that’s basically the entire thing I’m trying to do with escapebigtech.info, literally showing the world what Big Tech does and pointing them to other FOSS alternatives. It’s probably not gonna happen tomorrow, or next year, or heck, even this decade, but at some point enough people will switch that it will be inevitable.
Optimist. Good, we need more optimists. Not people like me who think kids today grow to be as blind to corporations and tech as our parents was.
Thanks for making an RSS feed, subscribed!
Exactly. People lose faith in humanity over stuff like this, but that’s a bit too far. The tech-disinterested are perfectly capable people and great welders or whatever, they just are fish out of water in that one area. That’s not great but it’s way more manageable than actual self-destructiveness.
We often underrate how big a technological leap forward we’ve made
I’m a teacher and most of my colleagues are scared as fuck of AIs because students may cheat during tests or not do their homework.
I tried to tell them that another set of issues is related to privacy or to the inherent for-profit orientedness of most AI tools: *crickets.
I’d say it’s like worrying about getting eaten by a shark while you’re busy poking a bear. Sure, students using AI to cheat on tests is a bit like the shark… it could happen… and maybe it does happen… But that privacy bear? That thing’s right in your face, hungry and potentially drooling over your personal data like it’s a honey-drenched salmon. So, yes, it might be time to redirect that fear from the AI “shark” to the big, bad privacy bear! And hey, if they’re still not getting it, maybe try putting it in terms they’ll understand: “Think of it like this - the AI isn’t the kid passing notes, it’s the one who might read them out loud to the whole class…including all the stuff about your secret crush on the lunch lady.”
Lunch Lady Doris ❤️
i just signed up to upvote and tell you how much i love your comment. i think i might stay.
aww thank you :)