Am i the only one who feels like it's the same handful of users posting and commenting on lemmy?
At least on the communities i follow. Every so often I come across a thread where i recognize most of the users there even in the big communities with over 30k members and I haven't even been on lemmy that long.
There's definitely regulars I recognize, but still plenty more I don't.
Yeah, there are a handful of extremely prolific posters who are awesome and keep the whole thing fresh. Then there are a couple dozen that I see at least a few times a week if not more. After that, I see a mix of familiar and unfamiliar faces.since I scroll All.
But even reddit had a similar pattern on a larger scale proportionate to the userbase. There were like a dozen prolific posters (or bots) whose threads got the most engagement even when they were reposts of someone else'searlier post.
I like to think of it like movies and tv, where a few prolific actors and actresses are everywhere and in things that get a lot of attention, but there are also a ton of people also participating but without as much attention because they are in fewer popular things.
If someone browses hot or new they will absolutely see the same few people the majority of the time since those are the most active people. Browse Active and there are a lot more that arrived a few hours after the post was made.
Part of it is also because you will notice the people you recognize, but scroll past the people that you don't.
Having to check over usernames from the moderation side, I notice a lot more variety than I'd think about otherwise
There's dozens of us. Dozens.
haha! oh wow!
in my case, there's people i tend to always see the same comment-style and so their name sticks.
depending on the sub, that could be good or bad.
Because it is dawg.
Total users are like ballpark 1 million, and most don't post much or at all -- e.g the 1-9-90 rule.
By comparison Reddit and twitter are the most trafficed sites on the internet
‘Had to look up the 1-9-90 rule
Smaller community, so the power users (like myself, FlyingSquid, The Picard Maneuver and others) will undoubtedly be more prevalent than the many, many other users that barely post at all.
I literally scrolled through looking for your comment.
I see you everywhere and I enjoy it. Thanks for contributing to all the conversations. O7
Yeah, you are very recognisable, but people like me, who lurk most of the time, comment maybe once a month.
Not very memorable.
Non respect
some of those are also the same kind of power tripping neckbeard discord mods we fled from by leaving reddit. (fragile ego ban incoming in 3...2...1...)
I don't understand what neck beard means. I see it used, but I still can't really figure out what it means. The other thing I don't understand is incel, not that you used that word but it's another one that I see used frequently that I don't understand. Are the two related? Also, I'm old In case you couldn't tell
I'm not usually an internet commentor, but I try to chip in on Lemmy sometimes. I think most people just treat it like the rest of social media today, where the smart idea is to just lurk
I guess it makes sense that the majority of the userbase is just lurkers
It's the rules.
It’s called a community. If Reddit doesn’t seem like this anymore, it’s because half those people are actually AI.
Yes, I love how much actual, genuine discussion happens here. The level of bots and trolls and astroturfing is nowhere near Reddit.
I can’t speak to Lemmy specifically but my Reddit years were ages 15-30. I think I got my fill of arguing on the internet then.
I write a lot of comments on Lemmy that I end up deleting before posting because I just don’t want the hassle of arguing with someone about it who is being deliberately obtuse or arguing in bad faith.
That’s not an indictment of Lemmy specifically, but I think my lack of interest in those arguments comes with age and I suspect my story isn’t unique, the demographics will line up for a lot of Lemmy users.
That’s not an indictment of Lemmy specifically
For me this is a major, glaring problem with Lemmy. The obtuse and bad faith arguments are a constant problem here. Some of the things that get upvoted are wildly wrong, openly biased, and would be ridiculed in most other settings.
If not for instances like Lemmy.ml and hexbear it wouldn't be so bad, but even if they disappeared, the Lemmy user base is an echochamber that's out of touch with reality.
How so? Can you list some examples of upvoted things that are wildly wrong?
Small town vibes where you actually recognize people at the grocery store kinda thing.
This is one of the things I appreciate about the Fediverse. Even if we were to grow large, too, this small-town vibe can be maintained simply by using the instance federation tools. Reddit doesn't really give you that same degree of convenience.
Like the others said, the ratio of posters/lurkers on most social media sites is 10/90, and i think that lemmy is on the better, more active side of things. in a 30k community that means that you will see about 300 people commenting regularly, and 30 of them will be very active.
i also like the smaller scope here, fewer comments mean that my opinion will be engaged with more.
I rarely commented on reddit, because one little comment in a swarm of 2500 will not even be noticed. It's different here, and i wrote over 400 comments this year! i maxed out at about 100 on reddit because my comments wouldn't even be noticed most of the time if i didn't filter by new.
Be the change you want to see.
Got it. Creating bot accounts now
Honestly, that's one of the cool parts of old internet (forums, chatrooms, etc.) is getting to know people, you get to know the community 😊
Be the shitpost you want to see in the world.
That's very much possible.
That's why I try to be as nice as I can on here.
There are very few times when I initially joined Lemmy where, I admit, I was a bit shitty towards some users (old Reddit habits). This can get you banned, or blocked, or you can build a reputation pretty quickly. And since we're not a lot, that can limit your interactions quite a bit. So I changed my attitude pretty quick. And frankly it's been much more enjoyable this way since.
Reddit did things to us all. You couldn't like be nice to someone bc you would get your ass handed to you. EVERY comment had to be so defensive, and primarily what worked was snark. Here... is different, most of the time (and when it's not, we can block and move on:-).
Hard agree. Lemmy feels like a town hall. A few important people providing updates on reality and we engage in discussions based on those topics. Honestly. As long as it doesn’t get corporate or super weird I’m okay with that setup. It feels a lot more like a community this way. Whereas Reddit felt like a stadium packed with people. You can shout. And no one knows where it came from.
That's a great analogy. Spot on.
A few important people providing updates on reality
The problem is if those people get burned out for carrying a sub-Lemmy by themselves.
This is a good way to think about it. I've also been trying my hand at being a bit nicer to tankies. Oops... I mean communists.
They'll come around, eventually. (Tankies I mean)
I’ve also been trying my hand at being a bit nicer to tankies. Oops… I mean communists.
So, I'm finding things reversed, I spent most of my time on reddit going at it with idiot conservatives, just blasting through their talking points and not being polite at all.
Tankies are different because they ... it's not selfishness, it's not just seeing themselves as the ultimate victim of "evil libruls!", they really believe the world would be better under their fairy tale. It's even different from a lot of religious nutjobs I've met, who can't wait for their God to come back and burn everyone who didn't appreciate how awesome they specifically were, like their dad who worked at the CIA doing Kung-Fu.
Fortunately the tankies have weak arguments, the best of which is "China #1 now!!!".
Interesting to hear
I get snarkier than I should sometimes when I'm really frustrated with someone, but I try to be mindful of it and nip it in the bud when I can.
I almost never comment on anything. I imagine most users are like me.
Yes, I do see the same names popping up all the time.
That's honestly crazy to me. What's the appeal of lurking?
Sometimes what you were going to comment is already there, you updoot and move along.
To learn...
Can confirm, browse Lemmy daily but almost never comment.
The ratio of commenter/poster to lurker is always pretty lopsided. I also never read user names.
The trick is not to read the usernames. I imagine myself surrounded by millions of mostly sensible people!
I post more on Lemmy since I think people will actually read what I wrote. I used to post a lot on Reddit too, but that was MANY years ago.
However one of the big reasons I post is to hopefully get the conversation started. I figure with zero comments someone is less likely to post. With one stupid comment, someone might respond.
Yeah, that's what you get with smaller communities, you tend to see the same people over and over.
And I kind of like it. We get to know who is worth reading and who isn't, for the frequent posters at least.
I used to be active on one of my country's most popular forums, if ranked by daily visits. Self-help Q&A style. Apart from me, there were pretty much only three users contributing about 90% of the content. One of them being the only mod. It took me years to figure out, from the timing and the writing style of the posts, that this mod also poses nearly all of the questions and gives all of the first answers too, using a new single-use sock puppet each time.
At the start of this year, it devolved into plain attention whoring and it was really sad, so I left.
After the reddit exodus I started creating memes for the first time and posting them on Lemmy. I've learned that it's harder to be funny than I thought. Also a lot of time/effort and I have actually important things in my life that I focus on. Reposting was also kinda fun but what's the point really
Real talk ☝️
Yeah, it can be time consuming for sure
Kinda yeah. BUT my comment to lurk ratio is still less than I did on Reddit. So even my few contributions are still more than I ever really did on Reddit.
more not less, isn't it?
I suppose. But on Reddit, I wouldn't even bother to comment on a comment. So the sense of community is nice. Feels more like old forums or a familiar but lively discord.
Does anyone recognize me?! I need validation for my useless contributions. Valor and accolades!
I don’t see that as a problem personally
A boon, really.
The majority of individuals on platforms like Lemmy—and social media more broadly—engage almost exclusively as passive consumers. Their involvement often begins and ends with the simple act of upvoting or downvoting content. This limited interaction speaks volumes about the nature of digital engagement, where consuming information or entertainment takes precedence over meaningful interaction or contribution. The absence of deeper engagement is not a failing of the platform itself but a reflection of broader societal tendencies.
People, in general, tend toward passivity, a trait that extends beyond online spaces and into areas like civic participation. In the United States, for example, voter turnout remains notoriously low. People express their dissatisfaction with the status quo, they crave change, and they criticize institutions, yet they shy away from taking the minimal steps required to enact that change, often hiding behind a hand-waving comment involving the words "systemic," "structure," and/or "institutions," a transparent way of excusing their unwillingness to actually act. As though they themselves are not parts of those systems, structures, and institutions. The same individuals who will upvote or downvote content online without a second thought are often the ones who abstain from voting in elections, an "upvote/downvote" that directly impact their lives.
What is even more concerning is that this passivity is not merely a result of laziness or apathy, but something ingrained and encouraged by modern society. Our institutions—whether educational, political, or corporate—tend to value compliance over initiative. Decision-making, once seen as a marker of personal agency and responsibility, is increasingly viewed as a burden. People have been conditioned to prefer being told what to do rather than take responsibility for their choices.
If a decision goes wrong, there's an inherent comfort in being able to place blame on someone else. This social conditioning makes being passive, fading into the wallpaper, not only acceptable but desirable for many. And yet, these same people will often feel deeply dissatisfied with their lives. But, rather than do something about it, they continue to be helpless, wishing someone would decide for them to improve their lives and then forcing them to do it.
While it's easy to express frustration with the passive nature of online participants, it is also, sadly, understandable. They are products of a society that rewards inaction more than action, where engagement is often reduced to the simplest and least effortful gestures. These platforms reflect the broader societal trend toward disengagement from real, consequential decision-making, reinforcing and reflecting a vicious cycle of passive impotence while they wait for someone or something to fix things for them.
I comment but rarely. I'm a lurker
Same
Yes. I've been posting to subs around here too. I like it cause everybody will probably see your post and you'll get engagement from real people. We also have common interests on here that things are pretty interesting.
We also have common interests on here that things are pretty interesting.
I disagree. The interests communities get no attention at all. The only things that get on the homepage are political stuff, some technology and a bit dry memes.
I'm hoping that changes after the election, but likely won't slow down till February, and then maybe we won't see as much for 3 years.
This is literally why i don't browse "All". Politics galore
Well it is not hard to love pineapple 🍍😄
Be the change you want to see. Post and comment. Start a sub.
That's more difficult than it would seem. Especially since the niche stuff i would be interested in fostering is... well... niche. And lemmy isn't that large. YET!
What interest is it?
Have a look at !newcommunities@lemmy.world for list of existing active communities
!fedigrow@lemm.ee for people who make communities grow
It's a village vibe, grab onto the grapevine
Reddit is worse but they use puppet accounts so you can't easily tell.
/TinfoilHat
Are you still double-dipping in reddit?
Lemmy is still far from being another reddit. So it is definitely normal to see the same active users. For example, I see blaze alot.
I think everybody sees blaze a lot lol
I see you a lot too!
I like it. It feels more genuine
not a bot at least
We're looking sat you PugJesus! 😎
Just trying to keep things alive until they're self-sustaining! I look forward to the day when I don't, uh, post every day.
I have no idea what you're talking about, says the chump who has a series of precisely 103 formulaic knife reviews posted here.
Want to know about a really weird knife? Go check out what a tecpatl is.
tecpatl
Those Aztec weapons are awesome. We need more movies taking place in pre-Columbian times.
Yes. Don’t look at usernames.
wubby7
I use both reddit and lemmy and for the most part, I'll see similar or the same articles shared/posted on both platforms. I don't mind, it actually makes me feel like one day Lemmy might grow enough to the point where I use reddit less and less.
using multiple platforms I see the same users from time to time but I never really cared about who's posting or commenting
I recognize most of the users there even in the big communities with over 30k members
Communities with 30k members could really do with pruning the completely inactive ones. It's not like there's any commercial reasons to pretend that places are busier than they actually are.
I disagree. There is nothing to be gained by removing people from a group. You can't predict when they might suddenly become active and by removing them you're abrogating their ability to participate.
It's a trade-off, I guess. Admittedly, there's not much benefit the user (though they could be warned via email if their account is going to be de-activated). There is however a benefit to the community, in that it can provide more reliable data to see if it's trending in popularity (a 100 extra users isn't significant if it thinks it has 30k users, but it moves the needle if that number is at a more realistic level).
thoughtful. my issue here is while a community is nascent, isnt building maintaining an honest reflection of the community important?
I have joined a few tiny locally communities based on one post/comment. I may never return and the community traffic is irregular.
in a situation like that I can see a mod pruning me away for zero comments in a year. however that is a form of censorship. so its back to the default of mods run their communities as they wish and, if you disagree find/create another community or instance.
thanks for the thoughful comment.
I've stopped referring to community sizes - especially when there hasn't been a post for a year. Instead, monthly active users is where it's at:-).
absolutely. careful pruning and caretaking is how you nurture good communities. excellent comment.
I'm just here so I don't get fined.
Roll-call for the lurkers! (If u want, no pressure)
A place has to be seeded for a forest to grow...
Somebody has to do the job since normal person only reads, maybe upvote.
Agreed; and Lemmy communites require not only seeding, but tending by a dedicated poster. There are plenty of dead places where someone created the community, maybe made a post or two, then never posted again.
There's one user that seems to be everywhere and it's probably the same user everyone is thinking of right now lol.
I'm also surprised I come across other "agents" on here more frequently than I would expect.
You've been very busy talking to several of my puppet accounts.
does that mean i'm famous?! MUM I'M FAMOUS
Commenting not so much, but posting is almost exclusively done by a regular few. Reddit was already like that, but Lemmy is infinitely smaller so it becomes obviously apparent.
I find it kind of creepy. And, ultimately, because of the legacy of things like power(mad) mods, disappointing. Excessive participation leads to possessiveness and all that
On the other hand, someone has to get the ball rolling so that other people join, it's like being the first one on the dancefloor.
Power tripping is indeed bad, and should be reported on !yepowertrippinbastards@lemmy.dbzer0.com
Well I mean, be the change you want to see then, post more. Other than that, you really won't find any online communities without the occasional power hungry mods, that's just the sad reality that power corrupts.
There are prolific posters and some bots that post nearly half of the content that gets popular on a particular day. Commentors I think there's a healthy mix of regulars and users I don't recognize.
There are more popular people that hang out and comment often in the main communities, then there are people who pass by. I know on Reddit I've seen certain people pop up frequently in certain communities. It's a smaller platform so you see the popular ones more often but it's not that unusual.
Don't saw much in English, but in French yes it looks like we are 3 or 4 users
Ouais...Camus est omniprésent haha
Ye, and I'm mostly fine with it (I just wish this place had more stuff that wasn't necessarily political, like "interests" type of stuff like comicbooks. We have some, and thankfully Linux is a big one, but I just wish there was more!)
I agree…
Nope, it is.
In a way it's kinda cool though. Feels more like a community.
No there's like four of us
Five!
I don't know you!
With such a user pool you'd think I'd make someone laugh
Lol
thanks. don't I know you ?
I notice a lot of the same people in most of the popular posts. I guess it's because the quantity of people that usually comment vs voting or just reading post is pretty low, so you'll start to recognize them everywhere
It makes me wonder if people recognize me from other posts I comment on!
Reddit was much larger, but it was the same and noticeable when you were active enough.
My rule of thumb was, if 100 people see a post, 10% vote on it, 1% comment on it.
There's also the fact that most active users that also comment regularly, don't browse the hot page but catch the posts earlier. So there will always be names that show up more often than others, that have already said what's going to be said.
On Lemmy there's a lot of instances that are kind of radical and have a vast interest in spreading their radical ideology in other instances, so they'll show up as well on a regular depending on the topic.