This is a theory that’s previously been stated in log/39-normie-hypothesis.gmi, but I think it’s worth expanding on as it’s become very relevant with the recent Reddit shit-show actualizing just how bad that website has gotten along with social media in general.
I think the model demonstrate how the ’enshittification’ process is an inevitability with any social media that is run on a venture capital model.
An online community can be like a village, where you have familiar faces, collective experiences, shared values and so forth.
I really think both sides of the coin have something to offer. One thing I like about larger communities is just the shear amount of content and discussion you can see, especially if you have a lot of time to kill. That being said I am VERY much enjoying interacting in a smaller community - haven’t done that in like a decade.
I think more content is a double edged sword though. I find I used Reddit to second guess myself a ton, like which thing to buy, whether I should like something, etc.
In a smaller community, I’m left to think more for myself since I can’t just offload that to the group.
Sometimes that data is really useful, but I think I’ve gotten too dependent. So a SM diet was absolutely in order. And as you said, I’m very much enjoying it. We’ll see what happens in the next few weeks as the Reddit situation resolves one way or another.