we seem to be popular with reddit users that were banned from reddit, which on average seems to translate to less than wholesome behavior - so maybe lemmy’s whole reddit-alternative branding works against us that way.

maybe developing a distinct UI so it’s not just a reddit clone, and directing features in a way that is appealing more to particular communities or people we wish to attract would be a good idea, rather than trying to directly replace reddit as a whole?

for example, attracting academics by supporting built-in LaTeX syntax rather than requiring a browser extension

Let’s talk about politics a whole hell of a lot less. Yes, things are awful and insane, but there is good stuff to discuss.

Generously start using CWs (Content warnings) as folks used to do in the early days of Fediverse.

It would be cool if people stopped thinking the only ideologies are their ideology and fascism

There are ideologies that are bad that arent far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist

Quit artificially upvoting US politics?

“If you can’t say something nice…”

Shouldn’t be regulated, but that’s my advice for improving discourse and awareness.

Join/make communities that crack down hard on negativity

Removed by mod

i dont like wholesome anything, to me it is often infantalizing or saccharine

My thought process:

1. Post wholesome content. You need to be providing what you want to see, first and foremost. Provocative content is easy engagement, but wholesome stuff is both a little harder to find and to get people to interact with.

2. Support other people doing what you like. See a post you like with no or low comments? Leave a comment to show that person other people want more. Likes are nice and all, but I personally post things I’m interested in and want to discuss. If I get likes, but nobody is talking with me, I get bored and feel like posting less.

3. Clarify when you post or comment. If you’re sharing an opinion, make that clear. If you’re interested in a subject but understand you aren’t an expert, make sure you’re not coming off as one. If you’re bringing facts, support them with quotes and citations and be sure to credit others where it’s due.

4. Respect constructive discussions. If people are rude, feel free to ignore them. No one wants to see 2 stubborn randos arguing in a thread though. If people give counterpoints or ask questions of your opinion, return the politeness given or steer it back to positive interior you feel it isn’t.

5. Discipline is required if I can’t stick to my principles that I’ve outlined. If I think what I’m going to post is going to rule people up or if I think I’m saying too much about something I’m not very informed on, am I better off hitting cancel than post?

For replying: Give others the benefit of the doubt. If you’re not sure, ask clarifying questions instead of assuming things and attacking first.

I see too many people fall for this basic thing.

I’ve been doing my best to approach discussions with empathy lately (I’m not naturally good at it). The people interested in mudslinging get bored I don’t rise to it. People not interested in mudslinging but expected it get drawn into a conversation instead

I hear you, your conclusion is valid given your axioms. We agree on these points. But, have you considered someone with different axioms would come to a different conclusion. Neither of us are irrational, incorrect, or invalid. We’re mostly the same, just differ on a few key points.

Does wonders

1. Try not to fall into the trap of groupthink. The “reddit hive mind” was one of the worst things about our predecessor, and it seems to have followed us here.

2. Understand that humans are not, and never will be, perfect. Endless purity tests do not accomplish anything other than turning away newcomers.

3. For the love of God, pick up a hobby. My feed on any given day is 99.8% US politics and activism. I’m not saying that these things aren’t important, but it gets exhausting when it’s the only thing people want to discuss.

ban Nazi’s and defederate from fascist instances.

My take is that the fediverse is wholesome. Today’s news isn’t but that is our current reality and the topics on a social network will always cover current events.

But when you really pay attention to the people here, they are wholesome. And if what you see is a lot of terrible people in your feed, start watching the instances they are coming from. Frequently the difference between a good and bad experience here is how well you curate your feed and how well your instance is moderated.