Anyone else enjoying the Internet better, now that they’re off Reddit?

Hadn’t realized how reliant upon Reddit I’d become for news and interesting things until after it turned to shit and I quit it. I’ve rediscovered RSS for ex., using reader apps to scan sources directly and read without all the noise—that actually came from someone’s recommendation here in the comments. I’ve found several new sites with deep, knowledgeable articles and discussions, like https://theconversation.com/us (free! No ads! Also discovered through the comments here), and my engagement with articles and their sources has gone WAY up. I’ve stopped reading garbage comment sections, too, and I’m just feeling better mentally as a result, disengaging from the endless, low effort memes/jokes and the mean, toxic comments*. Anyone else?

(Thanks again, admins—really enjoying and appreciating how Beehaw is run!)

Evkob,
@Evkob@lemmy.ca avatar

I've noticed I'm spending more time looking at content that I actually want to engage with.

I've also been on a huge FOSS hyper-fixation for the past week after replacing reddit with Lemmy. I've stopped using Youtube in favour of an open-source front end (Piped), I finally ditched Windows as my main OS and set up EndeavourOS, found an open-source Spotify front-end for desktop (psst) as well as an alternative for mobile (ViMusic).

If anyone has any other open-source software to recommend, hit me up!

lysy,

Antennapod for podcasts!

SemioticStandard,
@SemioticStandard@beehaw.org avatar

For email, Thunderbird has done a complete re-write, and it’s excellent: https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/download/beta/

brihuang95,
@brihuang95@sopuli.xyz avatar

I'd recommend Joplin for notes!

Evkob,
@Evkob@lemmy.ca avatar

I love it when I'm already using something open source without even knowing it's open source! Joplin is a great recommendation, I've always struggled finding note taking apps that strike a good balance between power and convenience.

palitu,

Ummm...

I too have (now) found the new front end! Woot woot!

And now I need to check out ViMusic...

You bad person who has taken more of my time! Thanks 😀

palitu,

Oh bugger. Vimusic is not Spotify:(

lysy,

AntennaPod - my favorite app for podcasts.

GiganticPrawn,

If you're on Android, take a look at f-droid. Kind of like Google Play Store, but for FOSS.

Ive been using Unraid (not FOSS), and there are a Ton of FOSS containers that I play around with all the time. I have one for budgeting, hosting a website, updating Dynamic DNS (website), and a whole bunch of others.

curiosityLynx,

I'm better informed, but I can't say I'm happier. Ignorance is bliss, as they say. I'm frustrated by enshittification and embrace expand extinguish, idiotic and/or evil rightwing politicians and stuff like Musk wanting to implant chips into people's brains. Before, I could go to /r/Eyebleach and other cute/pet subreddits or be entertained by tales from various industries, but those communities are still way too small in the fediverse, if they exist at all, and I end up on the main page even if I'm trying to de-frustrate.

grizzzlay,

Hah, I’ve done the exact same thing you did - I find myself commenting and thinking more about my discussions, and also turning to RSS feeds for my info. Life is quieter. Simpler. Less filled with bullshit.

gingerrich,

I wouldn't necessarily say I am enjoying the internet more but I am using it less, especially the doom scrolling but to be fair I've hardly used much since April and have been watching Star Trek and reading since April instead.

I've noticed an improvement in my mental health overall and I really like how Beehaw operates Vs Reddit with the more polite discussions. Definitely has a positive impact.

Gork,
@Gork@beehaw.org avatar

How do you set up to receive RSS feeds on your phone?

SemioticStandard,
@SemioticStandard@beehaw.org avatar

Search the App Store for RSS readers.

exohuman,
exohuman avatar

I have become addicted to exploring the Fediverse. I enjoy reading articles and interacting. I even love Mastodon now that I have been mysteriously banned from Twitter (after not using it for months).

datavoid,

I'm really enjoying it honestly - I didn't realize how many great forums were still out there.

I'm waiting for my data request to go through, then I might delete my account. Although there isn't much of a point if they are restoring comments..

TheBaldness,

You might want to keep your account so you can go back and delete your data as they restore it. I nuked all of mine, but every day maybe three or four things show back up again. It's very strange. Almost like a rolling backup being restored.

Snapz,
@Snapz@beehaw.org avatar

Does the conversation have a US app? I only see a French version?

zer0,

I like how I have to open my browser manually to browse lemmy

Irv,

I could always add 'Reddit' to a Google search and get information from real people. With the rise of bot sites/articles, this was my way of getting answers online.

Lemmy is great for learning new or interesting things, and I'm glad it's here. I just am not sure how to get answers from real people anymore

pineapplelover,

I really hope Lemmy becomes searchable. That's an amazing draw from Reddit. Other than Quora, I haven't seen it yet.

somefool,
@somefool@beehaw.org avatar

I have been getting back into webcomics and RSS. Which, you know, works well, because most of hiveworks' comics still have rss. So much amazing stuff to catch up on and then follow forever.

Me and a friend are lazily trying to compile news sites rss feeds into an OPML, too. It's going slow but it keeps us busy.

DSLeMaster,

It is like a treasure hunt, makes me feel like a kid again.

worfamerryman,

I think I have just been wasting less time. I usually check lemmy throughout the day. But just in bursts. I’ve for sure been more productive and happy with the new normal.

modulartable,

I feel a lot less stressed overall and feel good about deleting my reddit account!

cityboundforest,
@cityboundforest@beehaw.org avatar

The downfall of Reddit has increased my usage of the Fediverse, namely Lemmy, but it has also reduced my usage of Twitter as I've moved to Mastodon. I barely used Reddit prior to the API announcement, but now I don't want to use it at all. I still have Infinity downloaded on my phone which I intend to delete on the 30th.

ETA: I pretty much only use Twitter to promote content things I'm doing and that's only because there are people still on Twitter.

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