I see many socialists on X and Instagram that are not on Mastodon, why is that? Is there a socialist argument as to why these organizations are still there, and should we join them?

  • ExotiqueMatter@lemmygrad.ml
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    1 day ago

    My take on socialists presence on mainstream vs federated social media is that we should have our “main” social media spaces on the fediverse while maintaining a presence on mainstream social media to make agitprop and draw more peoples in.

  • albigu@lemmygrad.ml
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    2 days ago

    For agitation and propaganda, mainstream websites are infinitely more effective than whatever we have on the fediverse. That is not on you as an individual but on your organisation as a platform for that agitation.

    Now for individualist arguments, there’s the clear reason that sadly most people are still only on corporate social media.

    The fediverse works as a safe space, and allows for deeper discussion and studies, but it’s definitely not a place for reaching an audience.

  • Cowbee [he/him, they/them]@hexbear.net
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    2 days ago

    As Communists, it’s important to engage with even reactionary-controlled spaces in order to agitate. Lenin made this clear in “Left”-Wing Communism. That being said, we should also promote spaces like Lemmy and Mastodon while on more reactionary spaces, as we can create our own, Proletarian controlled spaces free from the censorship of corporate media.

    Each plays a different role, but ultimately we should be where the working class is.

    At least, that’s my belief.

  • amemorablename@lemmygrad.ml
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    2 days ago

    Personally… Twitter (when it was still Twitter) helped get me to where I am now in knowledge and beliefs. Lemmygrad has helped me on some things as well, like the Russia-Ukraine situation. Reddit drove me more toward a “anyone could be a political bot” rabbithole of thinking in years prior to that. But also, the way it went on Twitter was helped a lot by people in the orbit of Bernie Sander’s campaign at the time, so some of it may have been pure timing.

    So in my own experiences, Twitter was helpful at points, but Reddit was largely a cesspool. There are probably people here who were helped by Reddit though, cause if I understand right, this was born out of one of the only ML subs on Reddit?

    Some people can be reached on the large platforms. But I tend to think you need to consider your own situation too. If you’re an org or style of “pundit” who is trying to grow and get messaging out, it makes sense to be on the big platforms to reach more people. If you’re an individual, you may struggle more with when and how much to post about what, and get burned out in irate arguments that lead nowhere. The kind of mainstays I remember from Twitter tended to come across as people who either had a lot of patience to keep at it regularly or were the fighting type and could give as good as they get without growing weary of it.

  • pcalau12i@lemmygrad.ml
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    2 days ago

    I just sometimes use bigger platforms because, well, the point of social media is to socialize. It’s not as fun if there’s not many people there.

  • Commiejones@lemmygrad.ml
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    2 days ago

    The only purpose to be on the corporate social media platforms is to agitate. I know I was radicalized by posters and I know I have pushed a couple people left with my posting. If you think you do better work IRL that’s cool.

        • ComradeIntergalactic@lemmygrad.mlOP
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          2 days ago

          Claiming “nobody is on Mastodon” is a lazy excuse to avoid it. The stats are clear that there is a stark difference, but regardless, organizations should be there too.

          • star (she)@lemmygrad.ml
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            2 days ago

            There isn’t really a good reason to spend resources on a platform that barely has any people on it.

            • ghost_of_faso3@lemmygrad.ml
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              2 days ago

              defeatism, its empty because no one is there and im not going there because its empty so we’re going to continue giving zuckerburg ad revenue

    • ghost_of_faso3@lemmygrad.ml
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      2 days ago

      ineffective at best, orgs should focus instead on going outside and moving to decentralized platforms for information sharing.

      host your own site, hand out leaflets, open stalls; posting on mainstream social media is a dead end and only drives engagement with fascists and people who dont go outside, neither of who are productive.

      • star (she)@lemmygrad.ml
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        2 days ago

        My org has our website, flyers on a weekly basis and does stalls at bigger events AND posts about it on mainstream social media. I don’t see a problem with it

        • ghost_of_faso3@lemmygrad.ml
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          2 days ago

          AND posts about it on mainstream social media

          And when the fascists are in power they will have every member on those social medias sites details, well done!

          Why are we giving traffic and org details to the enemy again, do you understand who owns these websites?

          • star (she)@lemmygrad.ml
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            2 days ago

            i dont really understand how you propose promoting an org or doing mass communications. by that logic no org member should own a phone because it could be traced, or because its produced by capitalist businesses.

            • ghost_of_faso3@lemmygrad.ml
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              2 days ago

              i dont really understand how you propose promoting an org or doing mass communications.

              1 - going outside and distributing propaganda to the public

              2 - engage with your local community through activism

              3 - setup your own orgs website and direct people too it

              you cant use the masters tools to break the masters home comrade, mainstream social media is designed to filter people like us out and at worst suppress/hunt down people like us; take lessons from the red scare or how twitter and facebook work to suppress the working class and inform fascist regimes all over the world, if you invest into the tools of the upper class you’re just honey potting yourself.

              by that logic no org member should own a phone because it could be traced, or because its produced by capitalist businesses.

              not what im saying at all, you can create your own risk profile suited to what you’re doing; as an induvidual you’re still driving engagement with social media but its not the biggest deal ever

              if you’re out protesting and bring your phone though? terrible OPSEC, it can be used to geolocate and prosecute you.

              for a massive orgs comms?

              undermines the anti-capitalist messaging a little bit when its on the front page of one of the richest people on the planet dont you think?

              • star (she)@lemmygrad.ml
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                1 day ago

                undermines the anti-capitalist messaging a little bit when its on the front page of one of the richest people on the planet dont you think?

                this is essentially the “if you dont like capitalism why do you exist in it” argument. i dont see the point in being a purist when it comes to communications, it would just be impossible to build a movement and grow. sure there are risks associated with it, but they are fairly low in the west.

                • ghost_of_faso3@lemmygrad.ml
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                  1 day ago

                  this is essentially the “if you dont like capitalism why do you exist in it

                  nope, its more like dont send all of your details to the people you are trying to dismantle lol, missing the point.

                  is it praxis now to give ad revenue to elon musk, the seig heiling guy? should we have been begging hitler for a spot in his newspapers? or should we have seized thoses presses and made our own newspaper?

  • metaStatic@kbin.earth
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    2 days ago

    I strongly believe the means are the ends. if your only presence is on corporate fascist socials that says everything.