aptea on Nostr: It's multi-faceted for me. The most important thing for me is the fact that I fully ...

It's multi-faceted for me.

The most important thing for me is the fact that I fully own my presence here. I own my nsec, not some company or group of people. I, alone, own it. I don't really post opinions and takes that are at risk of being censored (in most cases) but I do sometimes, and was censored and even temp-banned by big tech socials back around 2020/2021 for doing so. I love the fact that they can't do that to me here, but it's more than just that.

I also love the decentralized aspect. Again, it goes back to the censorship and ownership concerns, but it's also nice to know that the network is resilient and anyone can get involved if they want. I control which relays I connect from, I decide what clients I want to use, I make the choice on what key signer(s) to use.

There's also the fact that because this is an open protocol, there's a boatload of potential for things to get bigger and better. Different styles of clients already exist to give you various types of experiences. The protocol can also be used beyond the traditional social media experience, as things like DEG Mods and Gamestr (and the games it links to) have shown us.

Of course, it doesn't hurt that Nostr has the zaps system. I wouldn't have any BTC whatsoever if not for zaps (long story but involves my refusal to KYC) and it's nice having a small kickback for posting quality content. That incentivizes people to post good stuff, not just engagement bait slop. Speaking of which, the lack of a tailored algorithm is really nice as well; I despise social media algorithms with a passion.

There's also a pretty solid community here. Sure, there are the obnoxious maxis and the libertarians and anarchists who constantly post politics and anti-establishment stuff, and there are some folks on here that really don't deserve any online presence (specifically a few pedo apologists I've run into). All of that does get very old, but overall, the Nostr community is full of people with an independent, freedom-loving mindset. As a traditionalist and constitutionalist, I find myself having a lot more in common with them than I would on other decentralized platforms.

Finally, I'm here because it's still so early and a lot about this space feels like the old web in the most incredible way. As a "late stage" Millennial (born in the 90s), I grew up on forums, chat rooms and old school social networks. Nostr, in a lot of ways, feels like a natural evolution of that rather than the behemoth that is big tech social networking. That nostalgic feel, along with the potential to get involved in building this place up long-term, really is a nice cherry on top of everything else I just listed!