I’ve been on reddit for a long, long time and i’ve seen all the changes that have happened in the past decade. I spent a lot of time on Reddit, and have seen the slow infestation of bots, karma whores, and guerilla marketing disguised as posts.

I’m genuinely excited for the fediverse - it seems like an actual improvement over reddit, and not just a clone. There’s a learning curve, but there was one when joining reddit too.

I participated in the migration to Voat, and saw how/why it failed. I’m more optimistic about the fediverse for various reasons, and I’m dedicating my time to helping this thrive.

I was a lurker on Voat, but I’m trying to be active here. I don’t like modding, but I’ve even created my own community here, which is saying a lot given how lazy I am. Hope to interact with y’all more!

And if you’re still reading this, i hope you don’t mind a shoutout to my new community, maliciouscompliance - recreated this as it was one of my favorite places to lurk on reddit!

/c/maliciouscompliance@lemmy.world

https://lemmy.world/c/maliciouscompliance

!maliciouscompliance@lemmy.world

EDIT: since a few people asked - I posted in this comment below why I think lemmy has a much better chance than voat did

  • ~cass~@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    3 years ago

    Same story here. Probably about a decade using Reddit and it just aint what it used to be even 5 years ago, forget 10 years ago.

    I started off just looking for an alternative but quickly warmed to the whole idea of the fediverse (after I figured out what it is lmao). Feels like it hits a really good balance between old-style internet forums and modern-style social media.

    It made me realize we don’t have to settle for a 1:1 clone - we can build something better. Something that can’t be held hostage by a bunch of shareholders and execs, or run into the ground by one asshole.

    I think there’s a chance to make something really fucking awesome here and I’d rather contribute to that than go back to doomscrolling on Reddit. At this point, I don’t think I’d go back even if they miraculously reversed everything.

    • Kayzels@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      3 years ago

      Yes, this feels freer. It can’t be affected in the same way Spez is messing up Reddit. I’m waiting for more content (I will probably make some myself) that isn’t just talking about Rexxit or switching over.

  • Azamandriel@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    3 years ago

    I have been a reddit since the great digg migration. I am enjoying the fediverse experience so far. It makes me realize how much reddit had slowly changed into a place i did not like as much.

    • dystop@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      0·
      3 years ago

      What ruined it for me was hidden viral marketing and low-effort karmar whores. I think it was HailCorporate which highlighted just how many posts were straight up viral marketing attempts, and how many of these were posted from accounts with a strange comment history. I couldn’t unsee it after that.

      As for karma whores… it’s funny to see a pun chain, but not when that’s the top comment for 99% of all popular posts.

      • Kilamaos@pathofexile-discuss.comEnglish
        0·
        3 years ago

        What happened to hailcorporate anyway ? I remember a few years back it was cited or showed up on my feed regularly, but you made me realize it stopped at some point.

        • felixworks@beehaw.orgEnglish
          0·
          3 years ago

          It seemed like there was a backlash against it. At some point you would get downvoted for citing hailcorporate in comments. If I were more conspiratorial-minded, I would think that Reddit started throwing in downvotes at any comments mentioning hailcorporate, because it would hurt Reddit’s image and advertiser-friendliness. But I’ve noticed that, across social media, some folks seem to get really upset when you point out that a post is fake/marketing/staged. So maybe that’s just online culture now…

          Edit: there were legitimate issues with people citing hailcorporate on posts that they just didn’t like. But that seemed relatively minor to me.

          • Lucas@lemmy.lucaslower.comEnglish
            0·
            3 years ago

            Certainly feels like there’s some ‘ignorance is bliss’ to it. Folks don’t want to hear something is an ad because it takes away the illusion that their feed is in their control. And they don’t want to feel gullible.

  • FartsWithAnAccent@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    3 years ago

    I joined in 2007 originally, but now I’m excited to be here instead. Reddit has been making increasingly shitty decisions and ignoring the community that made reddit. I’d been looking to jump ship for a while and the fediverse seems to be a good answer to the problem of shady corporations.

  • Senator Bum Cuckets@beehaw.orgEnglish
    0·
    3 years ago

    Also an 11 year Redditor here haha.

    I got my start browsing rage comics on iFunny and 9GAG, then began browsing Reddit around 2010/11. I finally made my account in 2012. I too watched as Reddit became overrun with bots. I watched as summer Reddit stopped ending and became the norm, people responding in comments with corrections and more information lessened, the obvious astroturfing increased, obvious propaganda took over almost all the defaults, and most importantly, they started shutting down subs that might possibly maybe make them look bad for an IPO.

    They desecrated the grave of Aaron Swartz on spit on his name by removing him as a co-creator of Reddit. The cartoonishly evil decisions came one after another and I’ve had enough as well.

    Voat didn’t stand a chance because the people who were migrating over were lurkers.

    I genuinely believe in Lemmy because this time, it’s the mods. The people that actually keep the site running.

    Fuck Reddit, fuck u/Spez, go Lemmy

  • Nytelock@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    3 years ago

    Same here was on Reddit for like 11 years at least. It’s definitely a learning curve. I didn’t even know lemmy, mastadon, or the fediverse even existed before this blackout.

    • imaqtpie@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      0·
      3 years ago

      Let me know if you have any questions. Lord knows I was confused at first, but it really helps to have a buddy bring you up to speed. And then you can pass that knowledge on to the next batch of newcomers.

  • gourd@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    3 years ago

    I saw someone edit a post title and it blew my mind. I’m liking it here so far too. There’s a few kinks to work out, but I don’t think the learning curve is too bad. The Jerboa app is fine too.

  • OverfedRaccoon@beehaw.orgEnglish
    0·
    3 years ago

    I am also an 11-year Reddit vet making the move. Welcome! This isn’t my first Fediverse experience, but definitely my most promising (I don’t really tweet, so Mastodon is kind of whatever to me). This and kbin have been great.

    I was also part of the Voat migration. I never left Reddit, as I didn’t mind them cracking down on some of the more questionable content, but I did check Voat out. I wasn’t part of the cesspool that showed up there, but I did enjoy participating in some of the smaller communities. I think what didn’t work was that it just got stale. Same reason I didn’t like Snapzu or some of the other “Reddit alternatives.” Even larger communities were just… dead. What made Reddit work was that everyone was there, and even small, niche communities had active users.

    • pivotraze@infosec.pubEnglish
      0·
      3 years ago

      Yep, 11 year redditor, spent some time on Voat before it really became a cesspool, and use Mastodon. I am happy to see a Fedi-Reddit take off.

  • weepingSomnambulist@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    3 years ago

    I’m just a typical lurker on reddit, and depend so much of its niche sub for particular topic. Ngl i cant completely ditch reddit like most of redittor refugees here seems to be, but i think i could slowly convert my aimless scrolling time on reddit here

    • dystop@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      0·
      3 years ago

      you can set a goal of lurking on reddit but posting here! reddit still has good content to read - it has a ten-year headstart on this place.

  • charred@beehaw.orgEnglish
    0·
    3 years ago

    welcome! i deleted my 10 yr reddit account a couple days ago and havent gone back. im mostly a lurker. im getting my fill with lemmy, tildes, & kbin right now. one thing i miss is the tv episode discussions i always read on any show i watched

  • Fapper_McFapper@beehaw.orgEnglish
    0·
    3 years ago

    Towards the end browsing Reddit just made me angry instead of providing entertainment. Like you mention, what really got under my skin were all the ads disguised as genuine posts, and then all the bots asking for a place to purchase the item advertised.

    Do you remember a time where news would break on Reddit and the it would be two or three hours later you would see cable news stations pick it up? It hasn’t happened on Reddit for a very long time. Happened to me yesterday here on Lemmy for the first time. That was a nice feeling. It reminded me of how good reddit once was and how bad it is today. But more importantly, it showed me that Lemmy isn’t just a reddit replacement, it’s looks like it’s the future of the internet.

    Anyways, I guess I don’t really have a point, just needed an excuse to shit on reddit again. Fuck reddit.

    • MadWorks@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      3 years ago

      I know exactly what you mean with that feeling of being ahead of “the story” or whatever breaking news was coming out. Made me feel a sense of satisfaction that I was actually being well informed instead of just being fed a story.