Above all, activists need something that other people are on.

TFA (and you) are just discounting the power of network effects. Tells me that your judgment is poor and I should not listen to you ;)

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verdverm 3 hours ago | parent | next [-]

I would consider myself an activist, but not the Blue MAGA variety. Too much of the issue is people still think they can change minds online. In reality you are just chanting to the base, a negative feedback cycle for bad ideas that do not resonate with those outside your group.

Instead, go to where people all are, real life in the real world. I go out and talk to people all the time. I listen to them before telling them. I'm more interested in getting people talking than I am in changing their minds (right now) and providing them with ideas they are unlikely to hear online. I see my "sapphire gals" (retired nokingers) becoming less extreme, not repeating the shallow talking points. I hear them asking new questions.

Talking and working with others in person is 100x better.

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estearum 3 hours ago | parent [-]

Sure, I agree with all that. I don’t think it’s mutually exclusive with the need to be able to organize large gatherings of loosely connected people.

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verdverm 2 hours ago | parent [-]

We were able to organize large groups of loosely connected people before social media. Women's sufferage and the Civil Rights movement are two notable examples. Speedrunning the moon landing after Sputnik and Kennedy's assasination another.

	▲	estearum 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Yes? I’m not sure what you’re arguing or what you think I’m arguing.

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spwa4 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

And you are expecting countries to play by the rules when their existence in under threat. The EU will get people off Google, off Facebook, off fucking Pinterest even if it means moving back to Teletext.

(yes, there were "irc channels" on telext)

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estearum 3 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Idk who you’re talking to or what you’re talking about.

I certainly don’t “expect” (in the normative sense) countries to continue relying on these services. Breaking network effects is hard, but I wouldn’t blame a country for trying and I’d probably be happy with them succeeding (to the extent they facilitate free expression of their people).

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NetMageSCW 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

China does that - how is that working out for their population?

	▲	spwa4 14 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		Of course, the huge difference is that China also actually invests in replacing them with something. EU doesn't and only France has given it the least of efforts. But that won't stop EU countries from just outlawing these services.