I *want* to leave Facebook because it's trash, but unfortunately no matter how hard I try, I can't get my friends and family to use private messengers like Signal, or even alternative social media like MeWe, the Fediverse and Nostr. To be fair, it'd be pretty difficult to get the average person to sign up for Nostr, at least as long as the overwhelming majority is BTC/XMR content. Don't get me wrong, that's part of why I'm here, but we need more creators posting average-day content here. It's part of why I chat about subjects I enjoy, from IT/cybersec to tea to music and games.
I mean, if I can't even get my family members to do a quick switch to Signal, or go through the quick and uncomplicated process of signing up for a MeWe account, I really don't think they're going to take the time to learn how Nostr keys work, only so they can log in and see post after post about Bitcoin.
As for X, I still use it because I have a nice community of folks that I talk with there. I'm generally able to avoid the politics and drama with that circle of friends, we usually just chat about tech, tea, Japan and so forth.
At the end of the day, I'm purple pilled in the sense that I see Nostr as very important, but I also don't think we necessarily have to be Nostr-exclusive. Removing people from big tech networks is good, but we also have social tech that's still really good for privacy and freedom. MeWe recently decentralized using the Frequency blockchain as its means of handling authentication and signing of actions. The Fediverse is fantastic for the fact that it lets you find a community you like and curate what federated posts you see.
Nostr is great, it has a lot of potential, but I don't think it could ever possibly reach mainstream heights even with new features simply because the key system and the lack of content variety make it hard for people who don't care about Bitcoin, libertarian politics and so forth.
you just haven't noticed yet how those platforms are manipulating you
Nah, I'm definitely aware of how they manipulate, that's a big part of why I want to leave. Unfortunately, most of my friends/family don't care. I tell them, they don't care, usually because of ye olde "nothing to hide" argument. It's frustrating, because their apathy toward privacy and dystopian algorithms is directly impacting me, whether they think so or not.
It's why I try to use other platforms like the ones I mentioned to get them on board with alternative options. I'd only recommend Nostr to them if they're tech-savvy and show interest; otherwise, they'll go right back to the big tech slop they're comfortable with.
well, the privacy angle doesn't work with normies, but maybe "they are manipulating what you think by filtering your timeline" would reach them a bit better
but really, at some point you gotta say, if they want to live in an imaginary dystopia and not be in the real world you have to cut back on how much attention they get from you, because they aren't going to have a genuine conversation with you when their head is filled with bullshit
Yeah, I've tried that angle as well, but unfortunately, they either don't care or they're not interested in really doing anything about it. Unfortunate, but that's just the way people are these days, sadly.
I did just deactivate my Facebook about an hour ago. I figure that Messenger is still available if they need to get in touch but otherwise, it will keep me offline, save me some time, and hopefully send a message that I'm not really interested in keeping Facebook in the long run. Doubt it will do much of anything, but I guess we'll see.
i think the whole model of influencoor/fan and thousands and millions of followers is not a natural phenomenon but one which is actively cultivated in order to create idols for people to worship
and ultimately, mistaking a fetish for the real thing is classic primitive child-like thinking and if people are stuck in that mindset they are not going to listen to you when you tell them that the sun is going to come up tomorrow regardless of whether the shaman murders another virgin on the top of the pyramid
I agree entirely. I've been saying that since way back when; I was a late arrival to social media, only joining Facebook in 2011 after friends at school insisted I should get it since the private school I was attending was going to shut down after that year, and at the time, better options didn't really exist.
I used to hang out on forums before that (and I still prefer forums to just about everything else), and even after I did get Facebook, I only friended people I knew in person. The whole "hundreds of friends" thing, which inexorably led to the influencer/follower thing, was always something I hated.
Hey Jacob, nice note, I subscribe everything. I'm new here, I think Nostr is a great thing (the future I guess) but really I feel quite out of place (I think I'm among the people you describe at the end of your post)...maybe I'd have to buy Bitcoin? π
