this post was submitted on 07 Jul 2023
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Little bits of power go to people's heads. Seriously, that's the only reason you'd continue to do volunteer work while being threatened for doing so.
Maybe they just don't want to give up on a community in which they put so much time, effort, and passion to help shape.
I think both of you are right. Some people can't let go of what they've helped build, and some people can't let go of power.
So would you characterize that as "sunk cost fallacy" or "Stockholm syndrome"? Because Reddit has shown exactly how little it cares for its communities or the "landed gentry" who maintain them and if you were a mod who had been paying any attention at all to what's going on, you'd be foolish to want to continue to maintain a relationship with it.
Reddit isn't unique. There are (obviously) other places where communities can exist and grow, without relying on the largesse of libertarian tech-bros who see you as just a means to a cashed-out IPO end.
I think it's more nuanced than that. For example, I know that some Linux communities still want a presence on Reddit because being able to reach more "mainstream" audiences is still important. It's not Stockholm syndrome to want to continue to be able to do community outreach as best you can. It isn't always the best choice to silo yourself into another corner of the Internet at the first sign of trouble.
Besides, we've seen a ton of mods simply doing double duty now, maintaining a presence on Reddit while simultaneously creating a new community in the Fediverse and I think that's okay. Reddit didn't kill Digg immediately and neither will the Fediverse kill Reddit immediately. All we can do is to show that the Fediverse is a more open and welcoming place than Reddit and I don't think accusing all mods who aren't immediately jumping ship of being on a power trip is going to help the cause at all.
Funny, I would have thought that Linux on desktop users would be used to not being mainstream 😄
But you're right; I may have been too harsh in my judgement. I personally don't think that putting up with Reddit and spez is worth it given the statements they've made and the actions they've taken over the past month, but that's not everyone's opinion and I should do better.
Haha, we're used to not being mainstream, but we're also known to be OS evangelists! So I think not being siloed and isolated is important.
Putting up with Reddit's bullshit isn't worth it for me personally either! I have, in fact, just deleted my 12 year old Reddit account in response to those changes. However, I also think that the mods are probably feeling a sense of responsibility to their community too. Like if they just jumped ship, Lord knows what kind of lackey Reddit will replace them with. I am sure watching your community turn to shit under an ineffective mod would just be devastating, and then to have THAT become the first thing a "mainstream" user would see due to the power of Reddit's branding and Google's existing search priorities is just the worst.
Hopefully, the Fediverse flourishes and becomes the it place to be and Reddit will slowly fade into obscurity just like Digg. I know I already feel pretty comfortable here!
Yep, that's why the phrase "absolute power corrupts absolutely" is propaganda. Any tiny scrap of power will cripple the average person over time. Also you wont be allowed anywhere near absolute power without being approved by the absolutely corrupt first.
I'm not agreeing that that's the reason why mods on reddit are still there, just my 10 cents on power.