I've been feeling a bit negatively lately. I know I've stated a lot of times over the last year that I feel I'm getting less traffic, but it usually stabilized after a week or so. But now I feel the weekends into Monday are super dead for me, and I'm having trouble getting posts to the like-count that I used to, and most importantly, I feel there are less people talking and asking questions in comments.

There are some great users who have been here forever now, and I'm extremely grateful for what they do add to the comments, but I don't think I'm getting as many questions asked, and I've been trying to share more varied content, but it doesn't move the needle all that much.

I've started reducing the amounts of things I share from 5 a day to 3-4 now. The lower interest has me spending time I'd be making posts on other things instead, so I haven't been preparing as much work or doing any deep dives into things like I was.

I'm still here all the time reading things and responding to the comments I do get, but like the comments on this thread from Captain Patrick, this place hasn't quite been what it was 2 years ago. So much angry and violent talk. Many obvious cases of people responding from emotion from headlines and not actually reading articles. More infighting in comments. Less debate and dialog, just arguing. There's still a ton of great content, but it's being eclipsed by so much negativity.

I still think I am doing something significant here, but I can't make people happy or to participate. If I look at my upvotes, I still see other old regulars here and upvoting content, but with them being quiet I either feel their interest is waning, or that they aren't in a good enough mood to just say some little comment on things now and then. I get incentivized by seeing you all have a good time, but if it's just me and 3 people talking every day, that only takes me so far.

[–] JubilantJaguar@lemmy.world 5 points 16 hours ago (4 children)

Just the fact that this beautifully written contribution got zero engagement for three whole hours is enough to bother me!

Many obvious cases of people responding from emotion from headlines and not actually reading articles. More infighting in comments. Less debate and dialog, just arguing.

So well put. People responding to headlines alone really is the bane of social media. Personally, I've begun to systematically add a quote from the source article, even when it doesn't add much to my comment. As a way of subtly showing others that I actually read the article and that perhaps they should too.

[–] anon6789@lemmy.world 3 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

I appreciate the nice words.

I like to do the same thing, grabbing snippets of q that article, not whatever broad frustrations we have on the topic while ignoring the new info we're being given. That makes all the posts feel the same and full of mostly generalities or just straight complaining.

There are some prior sharing really interesting and important things, and I don't get the appeal of using social media to wallow in misery when it can be used to educate and congregate. Things like 50501is using it to try to build political momentum. I want to get people interested in less familiar animals and hopefully encourage them to volunteer, donate, or at least see them as more than memes or NPCs and rather unique individuals that have important roles in our world and have full lives and semblances of individual personalities.

It just feels we're squandering an opportunity if we just let this place turn into just another social media site.

[–] JubilantJaguar@lemmy.world 3 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago) (1 children)

I second your manifesto. It's always been a mystery to me that so many people seem to enjoy wallowing in misery and anger and negativity and helplessness. It really seems to be the essence of much of social media. I'm guessing it's something to do with catharsis, and release of frustration. But there must also be a certain personality type that is attracted to social media - and apparently we're the odd ones out. Just downvoting is a mystery to me TBH (I see it as pure toxicity and obviously antithetical to civilized discussion) and I know from bitter experience that quite few people here agree with me on this. But there are a few who do and I take heart from that.

It just feels we’re squandering an opportunity if we just let this place turn into just another social media site

It can't ever be that bad as long as there is no advertising. That's my positive spin.

[–] anon6789@lemmy.world 3 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

I get the need to vent. There is a lot to be bad about these days. But it just feels like it takes over everything.

I only downvote on stuff where people are outright mean or lying. If it's something where I think people should just ignore it, I move on, but if someone is hateful or talking stuff that is knowingly false or dangerous and I feel others should know to ignore whatever they're saying, that's worth downvoting.

It is nice having a place that isn't commercial in any way. That is one thing we still got.

There are still a lot of positives here, don't get me wrong, but the early adopter phase feels over and some of the shine has worn off.

[–] jet@hackertalks.com 1 points 9 hours ago

the early adopter phase feels over and some of the shine has worn off.

Yeah, we are not in growth phase, but maintenance. Finding fulfillment from the actual relationships and engagement we have is important.

The dopamine hits of growth phase Lemmy are very much feast or famine, but can't be the only reason we are here.

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