I agree. I took part in forums back in the day and while it wasn't always idyllic and like you I usually went there "with a purpose" rather than just do the equivalent to "small talk" I liked the very different idea of time.
I use Discord but the way in is Twitter -- that's the only way to get invited to small servers, and in the end it's also very difficult to manage a small server (keep it alive, that is), so Discord for me is mostly a place to talk to friends I've already made at some point. More than that, it leaves no traces on the outside and I want to go against this type of closed-off Internet where the history of a fandom is wiped off once a major Twitter of that fandom account deactivates. Impermanence has its uses but that's not great for "places" where people could arrive at any time to participate. Fandom is also a thing that lives in the moment, sure, but it cannot be just that.
Mastodon I have yet to explore...
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Date: 2023-01-26 09:20 am (UTC)I agree. I took part in forums back in the day and while it wasn't always idyllic and like you I usually went there "with a purpose" rather than just do the equivalent to "small talk" I liked the very different idea of time. I use Discord but the way in is Twitter -- that's the only way to get invited to small servers, and in the end it's also very difficult to manage a small server (keep it alive, that is), so Discord for me is mostly a place to talk to friends I've already made at some point. More than that, it leaves no traces on the outside and I want to go against this type of closed-off Internet where the history of a fandom is wiped off once a major Twitter of that fandom account deactivates. Impermanence has its uses but that's not great for "places" where people could arrive at any time to participate. Fandom is also a thing that lives in the moment, sure, but it cannot be just that. Mastodon I have yet to explore...