A bit too often taking part in discussions on Reddit was just mentally draining. Initially the topic looks so promising and I would love to discuss it. But too often people were not interested in sharing ideas beyond their own opinion, and many people were obsessed with “winning” the discussion.
Trying so discuss the finer points back and forth in a satisfying way was a rare occasion. Even In not so big subreddits you would think were filled with like minded people this was difficult. and comments were trying to end the discussion instead of coming with an idea and trying to further it.
How can we all promote good discussion on this site or the wider fediverse?
I’ve been consciously trying to ask myself before posting a comment here; is this something I’d say to someone’s face in person? If not, I readjust my tone or simply don’t comment.
So far, I’ve found conversation here to be rather civil. I imagine it’s due to good moderation, a small user base, and no bots. Enjoy the peace and quiet for the time being, but be sure to report any of that stuff to the mods.
This may seem very petty, but I wonder how much the lack of permanent user karma has an effect. I doubt many people here even cared about it, but on Reddit it seemed to drive a lot of the lazy hanger-on comments that were cheap karma boosts.
My understanding is that the fake internet points were once a motivator, but with enough karma, an account could be auctioned off and used to post bot content while ranking high in the Reddit algorithms.
I think that once people see Lemmy as a means to have genuine conversations, that’s what’s going to stick. Heck, this is the most active I’ve even been across any platform. I’ve fired up a few communities and I’m engaging after almost 15 years lurking.
It’s a small enough community that I feel I’m making an impact. That’s why I’m sticking around and ditching my Reddit account.
