As anyone who remembers the 90s/00s can remember, the internet was supposed to liberate us. Free access to information meant everyone would be educated and informed, and able to freely communicate and organize.
That’s not what happened. Corporations turned it into a tool of oppression. Technology has never and will never save us from capitalism on its own. Since the early 1900s we’ve been capable of providing food, housing, and medical care to everyone but we don’t. Technology cannot change that.
Social media is a particularly vile tool. It allows corporations to totally shape the reality of people who use it. To the point where people are so divided it’s all but impossible to oppose the government.
Decentralized social media might be better, at least for now. But it’s still removing the human element from our lives. Instead of talking to each other we create little echo chambers for ourselves. The Fediverse will not fix that.
The only real solution is to reject social media entirely. Which was happening, but now I fear decentralized social media is pulling people back in.
I agree but I have addictive behavior and I use Lemmy and Youtube. Sure there’s better options but, as an addict, this is what I’m stuck on.
And as an addict you’d be better off without being addicted, even if Lemmy is a less harmful addiction.
Nah, I use Lemmy to satisfy cravings. If my cravings go unsatisfied I run out of executive energy (will power) and my life falls apart.