There is perennial discussion about what fediverse servers (Lemmy or otherwise) to recommend to new users. I have a proposal, perhaps not very original but I haven’t seen it made often.

Let’s just recommend that newbies pick an instance that is located close to them geographically. That’s to say: their country, their region, or (ideally) their town.

Some context. Personally, I am not totally sold on social media, federated or otherwise. The evidence is now pretty clear that it causes major social harms. One way it does this is by fuelling polarization around hot-button national and international debates, at the expense of local issues. Reviving democracy is going to mean boosting communities at a local level. This could be a small way to do that.

  • Scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech
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    12 days ago

    Ah I believe this is the Either/Or logical fallacy.

    People not wanting to see hate speech or propaganda does not mean they are in echo chambers. Those are two different things.

    It also doesn’t stand with my original statement. Go set up your own instance that is welcoming. That would prove that it’s not an echo chamber and expand the fediverse. Win win from what I see. Let us know when it’s up.

    • JubilantJaguar@lemmy.worldOP
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      12 days ago

      People not wanting to see hate speech or propaganda does not mean they are in echo chambers.

      You know that bad guys are now calling your ideas “hate speech” and “propaganda”, right? And they believe it as much as you do. How do you propose to get out of this mess if not by talking?

      • Scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech
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        12 days ago

        And I believe this logical fallacy is Moral Equivalence.

        We’re not comparing here, I’m not biting on the rage bait. Again, the proposed solution stands. Set up your own instance and prove us all wrong, show us how to make this utopia you promise.

        • JubilantJaguar@lemmy.worldOP
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          12 days ago

          Since when am I proposing a utopia? I’m proposing that people talk to people in their physical communities. Nothing more ambitious than that.

          • Scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech
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            12 days ago

            Again, the proposed solution stands. Set up your own instance and prove us all wrong, show us how to make this local place where people talk to each other in their physical community.

            There, that better? Show us how to do it, if it’s popular more will do it.

            • JubilantJaguar@lemmy.worldOP
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              12 days ago

              You’re just saying I should practice what I preach and get off LW, is that it? Can’t be bothered, but fair enough. My proposal here concerns new users.