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Does it feel like the fediverse is exclusively used by older tech nerds? (lemm.ee)

submitted 1 year ago by gamer@lemm.ee to c/fediverse@lemmy.world

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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?

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[-] Ghostc1212@sopuli.xyz 93 points 1 year ago

I'm Gen Z, don't use Linux, don't know the first thing about programming (I know how to use file explorer though), and never intend to learn, and I'm here because I don't wanna use the official Reddit app and because I'm convinced that the Fediverse is likely to become big in the future and I wanna be able to say I was here when it all began.

[-] GreenCrush@lemmy.world 36 points 1 year ago

This is me as well. gen z, hate that trillion dollar corporations run our social media. The fediverse is the future.

[-] Ghostc1212@sopuli.xyz 14 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

gen z, hate that trillion dollar corporations run our social media.

This isn't even an issue for me so long as those trillion dollar corporations let me use social media the way I want to. I can just download an ad blocker and stay off the more garbage parts of their websites. The reason why I like the Fediverse is not because trillion dollar corporations don't have a stake in it, because let's be real, money was always gonna be involved. The reason why I like it is because I will most likely be insulated from the effects of enshittification and corporate incompetence on company-run instances. Even if the instance I'm on gets enshittified, it won't be that difficult for me to just move to another instance, especially once the Fediverse matures and we get things like account migration, or even account federation, if I wanna keep one foot in both instances. Same for whatever community I'm involved with. Plus the fact that I can just block any community who's users I don't like means my experience will be way less toxic than it would be on Twitter, where avoiding toxicity requires a lot of effort. That's one of the things I liked about Reddit, the structure kept the toxic people in their own little bubble and I was able to ignore their existence if I stayed off mainstream subreddits.

TL;DR: It ain't about the money (or lack thereof), it's about the potential for a better service.

[-] SuddenDownpour@lemmy.world 23 points 1 year ago

I know how to use file explorer though

What are the kids being taught that this is worth mentioning???

[-] Ghostc1212@sopuli.xyz 6 points 1 year ago

Idk I just heard that apparently knowing how to use file explorer is considered impressive in modern CS classes

[-] stewie3128@lemmy.world 18 points 1 year ago

What in the actual fuck

[-] amelore@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

Yeah I've heard this too. Both iOS and Android hide their file structure. But besides that most things are done online without files.
So people who learn mobile or websites before computers use it less.

[-] theolodger@feddit.uk 3 points 1 year ago

Unfortunately, computer literacy seems surprisingly rare in the younger generations…

[-] RoboticMask@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

I also heard that. But is it actually the case that a significant number of people don't use the file explorer (because they often use tablets/smartphones and not a desktop/laptop PC as main device, which is what I heard as reason) or is it just something people say?

[-] Ghostc1212@sopuli.xyz 1 points 1 year ago

The only reason why I know how to do anything more on a computer than what I needed for school and Roblox is because some of my hobbies require you to mess around with a computer. Even then, the most technical things I've done include modding video games (sometimes I go hackerman mode and edit a text file to change a modded hotkey) and downloading specialized software to play ancient Flash games or fix a KSP save. You can get around just fine online these days without even using a computer. Most of Gen Z just uses their phone.

[-] LogarithmicCamel@feddit.uk 4 points 1 year ago

According to what I have heard, other elite hacker skills that are at risk of getting lost in the younger generations include searching on Google and using e-mail.