cross-posted from: https://lemmy.perthchat.org/post/302114
let’s address the possibility that like mastodon/matrix 99% of ppl will flock to the biggest handful of servers
What is the real value of decentralization given that? Outside of like political unrest.
And what role do small servers really do in that landscape? Obv “novelty” servers like midov cater to the like lolicon enthusiasts and I’m sure there are a few other servers dedicated to illegal things. Regional severs are quite compatible with various nationalists/patriots
I think it’s almost inevitable that users in their initial migration will troop to the more visible aka biggest instances. In time it should level off and people join a handful of the bigger federating instances
Why would it level off? The bigger instances will always be more visible and therefore generate more users and content right? Why would that change?
There were some suggestions to change the order of instances on join-lemmy.org so that smaller instances are shown near the top. So that could help to spread out users better.
Perhaps a couple of random instances can be picked out every day/week to be featured?
Might be helpful to new users to curate a short list of “good” instances (semi-popular, good history of availability, open enrollment) and show them in a periodically-shuffled order as “recommended” or “popular” instances.
That, along with some github issue ideas I’ve seen relating to helping users get subscribed to places here, would probably help simplify the experience.
I’m personally kinda hoping that we will see less “general” Lemmy instances but more “interest oriented” or “alignment oriented” instances. I applaud the startrek / programming / piracy instances. Even the tankie and altright nut job instances are useful.
Edit: oh I just replied to a 2month old comment my bad