The Hostile Environment
Lemmy is the absolute worst social media platform I use. It’s a place where I often feel like I’m invisible. My experience on other platforms highlights just how off-putting Lemmy can be. The core issue? People on Lemmy are not nice to me, and it’s painfully clear that I’m not the center of attention.
Lemmy feels like a battleground where users thrive on tearing me down. I don’t need to be coddled, but a little civility and treating me like royalty wouldn’t hurt. On other platforms, my contributions are met with encouragement and respect. There, I feel valued and engaged.
Poor Moderation and Fragmentation
Moderation on Lemmy is either virtually nonexistent or too extreme. The platform blatantly allows allowing negativity toward me to flourish unchecked. It’s like being in a crowded room where no one is listening, even when I'm trying to be very loud.
In contrast, on other platforms, the moderation is so seamlessly perfect that I never see anything problematic, and nothing I say gets removed. I'm encouraged to express my opinions. This creates an environment where I feel like the star—something that is sorely lacking on Lemmy.
The Struggle for Attention
On Lemmy, it feels like a constant struggle for attention in a sea of people who aren't me. I don’t seek to be the center of attention all day but, when I do want that and I sometimes can't have it, it’s disheartening. My thoughts deserve to be heard.
In healthier online communities, there’s an understanding that I have something valuable to contribute. This mutual respect allows me to be appreciated. On Lemmy, my opinion is only appreciated when it's a "good" opinion.
Conclusion: A Call for Kindness
Ultimately, my experiences with Lemmy serve as a stark reminder of the importance of kindness in online interactions with me. While diversity of thought is crucial across different platforms, people must treat me with respect and civility. You folks could learn a lot from the kind users over at Aspect and SocialAI
One time, in middle school, we had to do this thing where we assign ourselves adjectives for each letter of our full name and read it aloud. My last name ends with an H, so I chose all haughty adjectives like
And then ended my last name with
And fucking no one laughed
I'll have you know, your joke was awesome
You weren't the problem, they were