Posted this in a small community, curious to know what everyone here thinks.

Let me preface by saying, I would love to hear counter points and am fully open to the fact that I could be wrong and totally out of touch. I just want to have some dialogue around something thatā€™s been bothering me in the fediverse.

More and more often I keep hearing people refer to ā€œnormiesā€. I think by referring to other people as ā€œnormiesā€, whether you intend to or not, you inadvertently gatekeep and create an exclusive environment rather than an inclusive one in the fediverse.

If I was not that familiar with the fediverse and decided to check it out and the first thing I read was a comment about ā€œnormiesā€, I would quite honestly be very put off. It totally has a negative connotation and doesnā€™t even encapsulate any one group. I just read a comment about someone grouping a racist uncle and funny friend into the same category of normie because they arenā€™t up to date on the fediverse or super tech savvy or whatever.

I donā€™t want to see any Meta bs in the fediverse. I barely want to see half of the stuff from Reddit in the fediverse. I donā€™t want to see the same echo chamber I do everywhere else.

I do want to see more users and more perspectives and a larger user base though. I want to see kindness and compassion. I want to talk to people about topics they are interested in. I want to have relevant discussions without it dissolving into some commentary on some unrelated hot topic thing.

I think calling people normies creates a more toxic, exclusive place which I personally came here to avoid.

Just my two cents! I know for most people using the term it isnā€™t meant to be malicious, but I think it comes off that way.

Love to hear all of your thoughts.

  • Domille@sh.itjust.works
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    1 year ago

    I noticed the same, but only in the last couple of days. Seems there is tons more toxicity and I wonder if itā€™s redditā€™s astroturfing to blame.

    • stopthatgirl7@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      It is a really recent thing, isnā€™t it? Iā€™ve been on kbin since the Blackout, and this feels like itā€™s only been in the last week or so.

      And the people being toxic really arenā€™t talking kindly to people asking them to not be. I actually started wondering if maybe kbin isnā€™t the place for me in the last week, and Iā€™d never thought that before.