Lemmy is a failed Reddit alternative

I first joined Lemmy back during the big Reddit exodus of last year. I like many others wanted an alternative to Reddit, and I thought that this might've been the one. I made two accounts, one on lemmy.world and another on sh.itjust.works, in the June of last year that I used on and off for about 4 months.

At first Lemmy was exciting because it was so active. There were so many new users who were enthusiastic about turning this platform into a genuine alternative. There was a communal effort to create and interact with content, and for awhile it worked. Lemmy was truly interesting during the summer of last year. However, this stream of dedicated users started to slowly decline.

A lot of people hoped that if they were active, they would attract and retain more users to this place to the point where the community would foster interest specific communities like Reddit, but that never happened. After a few months, a lot of users lost interest and went back to Reddit where the userbase is so massive that there is an active community for just about anything.

With this reverse exodus back to Reddit, Lemmy ended up with the same groups that were active on it before hand: political extremists, tech nerds, privacy enthusiasts, and shitposters. To be fair, all these groups are larger now than they were a year ago, but that's all this platform has to offer. If you're into any of these things and primarly these things then Lemmy can be a good alternative to Reddit, but for the general masses? Lemmy is just not good.

For example, a NBA post on the NBA subreddit can get you thousands of interactions in a couple of hours. An NBA post on here will maybe get you a dozen over the course of a couple of days. The only content that will gain any traction here are tech news, political propaganda, and maybe some memes. I don't see this changing any time soon. Even if Reddit implodes, I still think Lemmy will remain a niche platform. I think this evident by the fact that this platform hasn't really progressed in a year.

Max_P ,
@Max_P@lemmy.max-p.me avatar

Lemmy wasn't ready and still mostly not ready for a mass Reddit exodus. The Reddit API fiasco wasn't anticipated by anybody and the large influx of users exposed a ton of bugs and federation issues.

But it's not a failure, yet. I'm sure Reddit had growing pains after the Digg exodus too. Some platforms take years to become popular. Reddit was small for quite a while before it became more mainstream.

In a way to me Lemmy feels a bit like Reddit must have been a few years before I joined it 12 years ago.

The problem is the expectation that Lemmy could replace Reddit overnight, and would immediately be a 1:1 replacement.

Although personally I like it more here, and I get more interactions than Reddit. But I am a tech nerd, so.

mbfalzar ,

I was on reddit slightly before subreddits were added as functionality, so 16ish years, and lemmy to me just feels like that 2008ish reddit except most of the userbase is 40 instead of 18

Aussiemandeus ,
@Aussiemandeus@aussie.zone avatar

I prefer the older user base. I'm 30 and I don't feel out of place here

BackOnMyBS ,
@BackOnMyBS@lemmy.autism.place avatar

I like Lemmy especially because it has not gone mainstream. I was already disliking Reddit around 2016/7 and tried to find alternatives, but nothing was good enough for me. Around 2018/9, the porn subs got pretty popular, then WallStreetBets. That brought on a massive amount of users, and the Reddit I joined in 2011 was definitely gone.

It used to be interesting, unique, and respectful.It became repetitive, predictably standard, and rude. Many subs function as low-key advertising or propaganda without users awareness. It was a hive mind. I was wanting to leave, and luckily the API fiasco happened so that I was able to find a new place.

I like it small like it is now. Users feel more familiar. Also, I love the idea of instances. If one instance has a shitty community on a topic you like, then find a community on a different instance. There's none of that BS where mods control an entire topic. Maybe there are a lot of topics that aren't popular here, so that sucks. Still, it's no worse than reddit with 1+ million people all saying the same crap I don't vibe with on a topic.

Rooki ,
@Rooki@lemmy.world avatar

Could i ask how can you be one of the reddit exodus users if your account is 2 days old?

If you wanna leave lemmy do it on your main account to proof you are one of the over a year old accounts.

That we can salute and press F to the fallen user.

n3m37h ,

I'm pressing X to Doubt this post

shortwavesurfer ,

And we will still be here when Reddit finally does implode. Either from high interest rates and not being able to raise money or whatever we will still be here.

over_clox ,

If you don't like Lemmy, you already know where to go. Enjoy Spez, the ads, the selling of your data to train AI, etc..

rrrurboatlibad ,

Meh, it works for me. I like it here more than reddit. Sorry that you haven't found your groove. It toom me a while of finding the right things to subscribe and right folks to follow before my feed felt fun and interesting. I use Lemmy as a jumping off point for rabbit holes that are interesting to me

echo ,

I've been noticing a lot of Reddit's undesirables making their way over here. Same whiny little shits whose only purpose in life is to be trolls.

scrubbles ,
@scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech avatar

Then getting mad when we call them out on their trolling

die444die ,

Thankfully they’re super easy to spot and block.

mozz ,
@mozz@mbin.grits.dev avatar

political extremists, tech nerds, privacy enthusiasts, and shitposters

Dude thank god

I miss my old nerd internet. I won’t say you’re wrong for wanting something that isn’t that, but I personally wish it was more that way than it currently is. SDF or mander is honestly a lot closer to how I like the culture and interactions to be, than Lemmy.world. I was super psyched when I came on and there were all these communists and science weirdos.

for the general masses? Lemmy is just not good.

For example, a NBA post on the NBA subreddit can get you thousands of interactions in a couple of hours. An NBA post on here will maybe get you a dozen over the course of a couple of days.

Honestly, when sports started showing up on the main page of Reddit it was confusing and alarming to me. I recognize that I am the weird one here (from the POV of the ordinary person society), but I much prefer just having my nerd stuff and having it be unencumbered by any normal person stuff

I think we actually have exactly the same view of Lemmy and its accurate position in relation to most normal people, just disagreeing over whether that is or isn’t a good thing

Blaze ,
@Blaze@reddthat.com avatar

Mander and SDF are great instances

kbal , (edited )
@kbal@fedia.io avatar

I'd not yet call it failed, but it's not yet fully succeeded either. To my mind, one impediment is something that lemmy.world shares with today's reddit: If you look at the front page it's 99% memes and images. That's the first impression people get, and it probably drives away a lot of people who might want anything else. We need those people to make more text-based communities come alive, if it's to evolve into anything like the old reddit.

I mean obviously there are lots of people who do mostly want to see memes and that's fine, but I think it's getting to the point where it might be useful to have an option that filters out all posts that are just a title and an image.

jimmydoreisalefty ,
@jimmydoreisalefty@lemmy.world avatar

Change is not easy, it takes time and people willing to help foster that new change.

I am one of those people that is really into politics, but I try to interact with other communities once in a while!

It is an election year, so politics is always in an all time high on any forums and social media.

I suggest, if you are willing, to step up your game and be really active in the communites you would like to see flourish.

It may be lonely, but it tends to be when starting new things!

We are all trying the best we can, when we can, I give props to the lemmyverse and fediverse for all they do!

Thanks for posting, even if you used a burner account!

Gorilladrums21 OP ,

That's kind of the point that I was making. This platform has little to offer outside a outside of politics, tech, and shitposting. Most of the active users are here for these specific topics, which is fine, but this places Lemmy as a niche platform not one that appeals the masses. A few dedicated people can't foster a genuine community out of sheer enthusiasm. If that was the case then Lemmy would've regressed after the influx of last summer. You could be right, maybe people like you will lead this platform to grow into something more in a few years. I just don't personally see that happening.

jimmydoreisalefty ,
@jimmydoreisalefty@lemmy.world avatar

Thanks for clarifying and going further into explaining your views to us!

Some people can be seen as being a dreamer[1], I see myself as such a person, I try to stay hopeful, I see it as a much more positive way of living in the world; as well as much healthier for our mental health

Lemmy as a niche platform not one that appeals the masses

Yes, Lemmy is currently a niche platform, but that is how many start off, it takes time and much effort to grow a community.

It is similar to grassroots movements, where people that are leaders or learn to become one are willing to speak with anyone for a cause they feel strongly about, and they start to grow slowly.

I see lemmy in that phase or light, where most activity will be from people that are willing to throw themselves out there and share their favorite hobbies and put in the energy to interact with strangers (whether it may be apositive or negative interaction is another thing).

It takes time for people to come out of their shells and to start being active on forums as well, hopefully in Lemmy we give people that opportunity to grow as people and to take chances to meet and discuss any topic with strangers.

A few dedicated people can’t foster a genuine community out of sheer enthusiasm.

Well, it takes a few to start something new, in my eyes all important causes and projects start with a few people just having fun or putting the time to create something new.

To accomplish anything in life, it will take time and a lot of energy and people willing to do that.

I just don’t personally see that happening.

It is okay to see the world in that way, but just putting a bit of effort into sharing or creating a community that you like, will help improve the community.

Activity would increase, if you create a community or decide to share more of your hobbies and opinions within those communities.

If the communities would be liked by Lemmurs or not, it is another matter, but in the end of the day we all have our own way of seeing the world and we can have discussions with people that are willing to share their views as well.

The only way we can continue to grow as people, is by forcing ourselves to push against our own bias and to keep talking with people that do not think or agree with what we have to say.

[1] Supertramp - Dreamer [03:31] https://youtu.be/B885n08hOmw

Much text to read, here is a Lemmur for a fun pic:

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/45081fad-67a9-4c1a-8743-65b2a8826910.jpeg

thesocavault ,
@thesocavault@lemmy.world avatar

He has some very valid points. Outside of what he says, it's a challenge at times to build good conversations. Now we are all good for some laughs, but sometimes if you disagree with whatever meme was posted or whatever was posted, the minions come after you. It's almost like you get extreme views and not honest conversations. I find this on different Fediverse applications

Phegan ,

Studies find that the vast majority of users on a platform are passive participants, the vast majority only look, a smaller group looks and comments and finally an even smaller group looks, comment and post. The key to growing any community is to find or be an active poster. It's also an investment, if you post and get only 1 to 2 reactions, that's okay, it takes time. It also means that more people see it and didn't react.

In your example the NBA sub, I am on it and comment from time to time, but don't have the sources or time to post, but if someone took, at least, the links from reddit and posted them here, it's a start. I know NBA reddit has a lot of good discussions which you can't replicate here without more people, but the posting of articles and links is a start.

JimSamtanko ,

ROFL….

SparrowRanjitScaur ,

What's reddit?

AVeryCleverName ,

I have a couple of thoughts.

  1. I dont need or want Lemmy to appeal to the mainstream. Frankly, I already get all the mainstream 'culture' I can stand, and frequntly more.

  2. I think it's a mistake to consider Lemmy a one-to-one repacement for Reddit. I hope the fediverse can leverage the whole, y'know, federation thing. I think topic-driven instances that function similarly to the old phpBB boards is a good paradigm. It's not about a monster site that has a board for everything. It's more answering the question, 'What if I could post on gamefaqs from my metal archives account?'

I guess I just think we could do better than trying to out-reddit reddit, when it comes to having a vision for the platform.

Signed,
a linux using socialist.

Neon ,

No it isnt. It's become exactly as toxic as Reddit! If that isn't a succes, I don't know what is!

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