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I've only just recently realized the relief and freedom that comes with voting with your feet.
When I was a member of online communities that were run by corrupt, power-tripping mods, admins, or staff, that had lost touch with the communities that they were supposed to be serving, I would stay, participate, and try to change them from within. I would try to reason with the powers that be, and I would try to convince them to change their ways. I would try to do whatever I could to resist and restore justice until I inevitably got banned. I would try to go down fighting for what I believed in.
But then I gradually changed over to a more "defeatist" attitude. The war cannot be won. The mods/admin/staff don't care about your opinion. They're just going to use their power to do whatever they want, and they'll squash all dissent. It's their little slice of the internet and they will not be ousted.
The first corrupt community I voluntarily left was reddit, followed by StackExchange.
And let me tell you, it feels good. Sure, trying to fight the power is cathartic and might arouse your emotions, but it never ends. You never win. Voting with your feet and just leaving is how you achieve true victory. Internet injustice and corrupt mods will always exist, but you don't have to waste time on them, and you don't have to let them have power over you. Go do the things you want to do instead, and you'll be a lot happier.
And if you still want to fight internet injustice, you still can, just don't do it on their turf, or in a place that they control. Make your own space and rant against them there, where they can't take down your content.
When I was a member of online communities that were run by corrupt, power-tripping mods, admins, or staff, that had lost touch with the communities that they were supposed to be serving, I would stay, participate, and try to change them from within. I would try to reason with the powers that be, and I would try to convince them to change their ways. I would try to do whatever I could to resist and restore justice until I inevitably got banned. I would try to go down fighting for what I believed in.
But then I gradually changed over to a more "defeatist" attitude. The war cannot be won. The mods/admin/staff don't care about your opinion. They're just going to use their power to do whatever they want, and they'll squash all dissent. It's their little slice of the internet and they will not be ousted.
The first corrupt community I voluntarily left was reddit, followed by StackExchange.
And let me tell you, it feels good. Sure, trying to fight the power is cathartic and might arouse your emotions, but it never ends. You never win. Voting with your feet and just leaving is how you achieve true victory. Internet injustice and corrupt mods will always exist, but you don't have to waste time on them, and you don't have to let them have power over you. Go do the things you want to do instead, and you'll be a lot happier.
And if you still want to fight internet injustice, you still can, just don't do it on their turf, or in a place that they control. Make your own space and rant against them there, where they can't take down your content.