Text for readability:
So far, Americans using RedNote have said they don't care if China has access to their data. Viral videos on TikTok in recent days have shown Americans jokingly saying they will miss their personal "Chinese spy," while others say they are purposefully giving RedNote access to their data in a show of protest against the wishes of the U.S. government.
"This also highlights the fact that people are thirsty for platforms that aren't controlled by the same few oligarchs," Quintin said. "People will happily jump to another platform even if it presents new, unknown risks."
Okay, well I have impulses to go and get drunk, do hard drugs, and attempt to sleep with random women. None of those things are close to a good idea for me.
Just because you feel drawn to something or a type of thing does not make it healthy or a good idea for that person. Taking desires and expressing them in a healthy way is important, desires dont just disappear.
It's fascinating how Lemmy users view internet consumption habits as a reflection of personal ethics. You can't always hold other people to the standards you've achieved. Using and navigating Lemmy takes effort insight that the majority just don't have. Being alive also takes effort and can be very painful. Sometimes people just need to be able to turn off and zone out. Try not to place value judgements on the ways that other people do that.
I think you're hung up on how Big Tech has designed feeds with the express purpose of keeping you there for as long as possible, or even more perversely, as enraged as possible.
But algorithms can be made to serve other purposes, and I think the fediverse could do with a curation algorithm. Or even better, multiple choices for algorithms to suit your preferences and needs. From what I've heard, Bluesky offers something along those lines, which has contributed to its adoption rates.
I think if Lemmy devs wanted, they could probably come up with some great starter options. Heck, maybe they make it easier for everyone to customize their own algorithms. Not sure how far you get without knowing how to code that sort of thing directly, but even a little would go a long way, I bet.
Some people's aversion of algorithms on the fediverse kind of reminds me of people's aversion of GMO food. Genetically modifying rice to contain more vitamin D is probably good; genetically modifying vegetables to contain more cyanide would probably be bad. Algorithms don't have to be built to maximize "engagement;" they can be designed to maximize other metrics, or balance multiple metrics, or be user-customizable.
IMO, Mastadon is much worse off for their refusal to implement any kind of algorithm outside their "explore" feed. When I tried using Mastodon, search was unhelpfully in chronological order, and my home feed just got overtaken by the people that post the most. In contrast, Lemmy's handling of algorithms is pretty good, imo.
As bad as search engines are now, they'd be even worse if they just gave you results in chronological order.
Its not even the algorithm I dont like, I'm sure I could manipulate it to how I want if I put the effort in, its the bite sized videos and even shorter comments, often single words or phrases. I can't move on from thing to thing that quickly. The fediverse suits the pace at which I like to consume information and allows me time to think on it, and more importantly, interact with opposing views in meaningful ways.