Social media is on the decline. Instagram is all ads. No one’s posting on BeReal. TikTok is for influencers. The new place for sharing: group chats.

  • sndmn@lemmy.ca
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    10 months ago

    I still visit Reddit but I no longer engage in any way, other than reading comments. No up/down voting, not commenting, no reporting spam. Nothing but reading with multiple layers of ad-blocking.

    PS: the overall quality/value has dropped precipitously

    • SpiderStratagem@lemdro.id
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      10 months ago

      I’m pretty big into the mechanical watch community. Insta used to be popular in that community, but the best content and discussion has long since moved off “social media” and into various private Slack and WhatsApp groups.

      I’ve heard of a similar movement in other hobbyist/enthusiast communities.

      For people I actually know IRL, it’s virtually all WhatsApp.

      • Jake Farm@sopuli.xyz
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        10 months ago

        Too bad whatapp spies on you just as much. For whole communities to be in private chats seems rather counter productive for new people to find it.

        • SpiderStratagem@lemdro.id
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          10 months ago

          Agreed on spying, though I don’t think it’s any worse than posting on public sites.

          The new people concern cuts both ways. Yes, it’s moderately harder for brand new folks to learn about them and gain access. But it’s far from impossible, and the additional hurdle or effort tends to substantially cut down on trolls, spammers, etc.

  • I Cast Fist@programming.dev
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    10 months ago

    Social media in general is in the following stage of Enshitification:

    • Launch
    • Growth at all costs, user focus
    • Use size to bring advertisers
    • Gradually shift focus to advertisers and money bringers
    • Ensure users are way too invested to quit
    • >> Sell out <<

    It’s no surprise that people only end up seeing “carefully curated” content, it’s what “sells”, or rather, ensures people stay in the stupid app. From TFA: “While sharing has tailed off, consuming content hasn’t slowed”

    I have an Insta account for some of the part time 3D printing I do, but since I’m not a “content creator”, my stuff has almost zero reach. Whenever I open the app, it’s roughly 1:1:1 posts of “recommended”, someone I actually follow, advert. 2/3 of everything shown to me is stuff I didn’t ask for, not to mention when the advertises are actual scams or fucking pyramids

  • brothershamus@kbin.social
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    10 months ago

    No app better defines the changing nature of social media than Instagram. The app started as a digital scrapbook — a place to keep up with real-world connections, close friends, and family. While other networks had more users (Facebook) or generated more news (Twitter), Instagram seemed to define the ideal form of this era of social media. Instagram became a verb, an aesthetic, and a generational signifier.

    huUURP! BLAAaahhriifgghhh. . .

    Garbage marketing platform dies horribly. Thousands of clueless “journalists” bereft.

  • Margot Robbie@lemm.ee
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    10 months ago

    Also, if no one is posting on social media, then what the hell are we all doing right now then?

    • andrew@lemmy.stuart.fun
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      10 months ago

      I’m assuming you’re just here studying nerds for your next blockbuster where you’re playing Ada Lovelace or something.

    • arglebargle@lemm.ee
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      10 months ago

      I don’t consider this or reddit social media. I don’t know anyone, nor do I care to.

      Instead it is like a collection of forums since forever like in the bbs days.

      I pick and choose what rooms to go in and learn something. But it isn’t about me, or staying connected. You know, the social part.

        • arglebargle@lemm.ee
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          10 months ago

          No, I don’t think so. Not in the sense that social media became defined. Web forum, and bbs rooms, existed long before the term. The key difference and turning point was self promotion, and the removal of anonymity. I know they are similar and overlap, but the evolution from one to the other did occur. Reddit and Lemmy still have more in common with news aggregation and forums than say a Titter, Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok. Most of the content here is in reference to something else, end then discussion are on that.

          If you look up the history of the term the turning point is definitely the change to having real personas and real people connect. That is where the “social” part comes from. The term “social networking”. But we are not social networking here. Do you actually know anyone here? Do you want to?

  • Sagrotan@lemmy.world
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    10 months ago

    I’ve seen the birth of it in my lifetime, I’ll see the death of it in my lifetime. Way to go, evolution!

    • kautau@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      It had the potential to be good. But as with everything, once capitalisms tendrils flowed through it the benefit to anyone except those wishing to reap a profit is gone. I’m hoping the fediverse gets the support it needs because infrastructure is expensive and we have something good here

    • JohnDClay@sh.itjust.works
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      10 months ago

      It’s kinda niche, but it’s where you and your friends can only post once a day at a random time. But it’s all at the same time, so you kinda get a slice of life of what everyone is doing. I like it, it’s much worse for influencer type stuff, so everyone I know just uses it with their friends which is nice. It starts conversations that might not happen otherwise.

      • anotherandrew@lemmy.mixdown.ca
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        10 months ago

        Holy crap that sounds godawful. Do what you’re doing and dance on command when the randomly timed notification comes in? Sounds fun to do on a lark when you open the app because you’re having a boring day or something, but as a daily thing?