It’s no secret many people have grown apprehensive with big tech. It has never been easier to ditch Microsoft, Apple, Twitter, and Facebook. Why are people so hesitant to adopt alternative tech? What is the best way to change people’s opinion on this and get them to take the plunge?
I would have to disagree on the “it has never been easier…” part already.
For the people around me diaspora* is a lot harder to grasp than FB. It’s harder to find people in a decentralized environment too.
Also: people are lazy by nature. They are willing to shout at FB, but to actually stand their ground and stop using it: nah.
FB has unlimited resources and can modernize their system way faster than (what?) 10 diaspora* devs. Look at the “groups” feature: the most requested feature for sure and after years no work has been done on it.
Which leads me to another point: most FOSS software has some “life changing” philosophy behind it. I like that. But it also means there are a lot of different opinions and not always a clear dev course. Sometimes a feature that would attract a lot of new users is not implemented because it does not fit the philosophy of the devs.
Last but not least: people want to be in a group (hence the “groups” feature requests, come on devs!). But if everyone is on FB they stay there. They are only willing to move if everyone on their group does the same. And that is going to be the case if there is something new and exciting. Not for something as boring as changing the world by stopping big tech from dictating it I guess.
That being said: I am going to setup a “free for all” diaspora* instance because it is still the best FB alternative. Sadly.
I am also setting up a Mastodon instance as a Twitter alternative. Hopefully it will gain some traction in these troubling times.
If anyone has any ideas how to popularize diaspora* (or any FOSS software): I am willing to help in any way I can (not coding)!
For me it compares with using Linux. I was a GNU/Linux “evangelist” for years, incessantly bragging about why it’s so much better than Windows® and Mac. In several years of “Linux evangelism,” I made ZERO “converts.” No one I personally know has ever made the switch.
The same is true for “alternate social media.” People simply don’t care about the privacy issues and data mining that make centralized platforms such a distasteful threat to privacy and free expression. “I’ve nothing to hide, so why worry about privacy?”
In all my years of bragging about diaspora* on my blog and even on Fakebook, no one has followed me to this awesome platform. People want what is familiar and comfortable, even if they know it’s dangerous and that they are treated as a commodity to be sold and traded like merchandise.
I came on my own, and I’d bet most users who remain active more than a month after their #newhere post came on their own as well. Just as the changes at X/Twitter brought an influx of people to Mastodon, I think it will take some big “scandalous” change at Fakebook to bring folks here.