Curious to know, I’d heard “lemming” used in a semi derogatory way, since “a person who unthinkingly joins a mass movement, especially a headlong rush to destruction” is the dictionary definition. It seems to be the first thing to come to mind as to what you’d call a Lemmy user.
This platform certainly is embodying a mass movement to get off of reddit, and I’m definitely all for it! But I can’t help but feel this could be one of those baby names that sounded cute and catchy but could be bullied later into life. What are your thoughts?
When I used reddit, I hardly ever felt the need to call anyone redditers? Do people that use Twitter call themselves twats? Cause they should. Damn the Faceboomers too.
The lemming Wikipedia entry states lemmings seek out new habitats whenever population density gets too large. Kinda fitting to the reddit migration. Also loosely related to federations in terms of multiple habitats.
I like it because it’s like communal but with a limit, so not herd mentally.
Much better to be able to laugh to ourselves and show awareness of the matter. I never liked when people used membership of a community as a badge of honor, ‘redditor’ included.
I appreciate it as a self-aware jab at the nature of online communities in general, and it amuses me. Every human is a lemming in some way, shape or form, there’s just nothing new under the sun so-to-speak. But by being aware of this tendency we can control our own behavior more consciously and effectively.
Gotta be able to laugh at yourself though, which is a capability that not everybody possesses.
It does kind of lack the same embarrassment that comes from self identifying as a Redditor
There is also something called irony, which could be embraced and that would quell the bullying. Own it. It’s funny, stop taking things so seriously. Also, who cares?
It’s better than anal explorers ala Lemmiwinks.