The fediverse is small, and thats both a blessing and a curse - one of its several blessings is that in a smaller space we all individually have a bigger impact on what the culture of this space is like.

On this comm (and on lemmy broadly) there’s a lot of discussion about how to grow the fediverse, what to improve, but an easy thing you can do for the fediverse is right in front of us-

  • Be kind

  • Ask people what they think, and why

  • Approach folks you disagree with with curiosity rather than hostility (EDIT: no, this is not specifically referring to Nazis. I get it, they’re the first thing that comes to mind. I’m not telling you to approve of Nazis I’m just saying be kind to your fellow lemmites)

  • Engage sincerely

  • Ask yourself if there’s something nice you can say

  • Make this small space worth being in

A platform lives or dies by what’s available on said platform and often we have this conversation in the context of “content” or posts - and we may never have as much content as reddit does. But content and posts aren’t the only thing this kind of platform offers- it also offers people. It offers community, and human interaction.

Culture and community is lemmy and the fediverse’s biggest differentiator, and we all have a role to play in shaping the culture of this space.

The biggest thing you can do to help the fediverse is make it a place worth being.

  • @[email protected]
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    1416 days ago

    I think part of pleasantness is not bringing politics into things that weren’t intended to be about politics.

    • Banana
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      2916 days ago

      The problem is politics impacts everything and the word “political” means different things to different people.

      To some, talking about being gay is political, even though to people who are in that community, it’s literally just talking about their lives.

        • Banana
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          1616 days ago

          I definitely saw several comments that strike me as political, which is exactly my point, everyone has a different definition.

          When every aspect of your life is affected by politics, everything is political.

    • Yardy Sardley
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      1416 days ago

      To interject with a somewhat pedantic point, nothing is truly apolitical. But there is something to be said about sensing the proper time and place to start a political argument.