Let me preface by saying, I would love to hear counter points and am fully open to the fact that I could be wrong and totally out of touch. I just want to have some dialogue around something that’s been bothering me in the fediverse.
More and more often I keep hearing people refer to “normies”. I think by referring to other people as “normies”, whether you intend to or not, you inadvertently gatekeep and create an exclusive environment rather than an inclusive one in the fediverse.
If I was not that familiar with the fediverse and decided to check it out and the first thing I read was a comment about “normies”, I would quite honestly be very put off. It totally has a negative connotation and doesn’t even encapsulate any one group. I just read a comment about someone grouping a racist uncle and funny friend into the same category of normie because they aren’t up to date on the fediverse or super tech savvy or whatever.
I don’t want to see any Meta bs in the fediverse. I barely want to see half of the stuff from Reddit in the fediverse. I don’t want to see the same echo chamber I do everywhere else.
I do want to see more users and more perspectives and a larger user base though. I want to see kindness and compassion. I want to talk to people about topics they are interested in. I want to have relevant discussions without it dissolving into some commentary on some unrelated hot topic thing.
I think calling people normies creates a more toxic, exclusive place which I personally came here to avoid.
Just my two cents! I know for most people using the term it isn’t meant to be malicious, but I think it comes off that way.
Love to hear all of your thoughts.
Or…
“Normie” shows a hint of self awareness that the people on this platform aren’t representative of the general public. We’re a bunch of tech weirdos.
We’re the “abnormies”.
Pretending there isn’t any condescension toward the “normies” when using the term is blatantly exhibiting the exact behavior the OP referenced. It’s not how inclusivity works in a community at all. It alienates anyone that isn’t already a part of it.
Why? Because I don’t expect a person who’s not entrenched in a specific hobby to understand the ins-and-outs of that hobby?
It’s not condescension. It’s setting reasonable expectations.
No of course it’s reasonable that they wouldn’t understand the ins and outs. The op and commenter you’re replying to are talking about the connotation of the word, not the fact that a hobbyist understands their hobby.
Take the term Trekkie for example – people who are into star trek can become Trekkies which symbolizes that they’ve joined a community. That term can be used to mean that two people both belong to a community (i.e., “we’re Trekkies”) or it can be used to refer negatively to people in that community by those who aren’t in it (i.e., “Trekkies smell bad”).
There are (at least) two things happening here that people are picking up on. One is that context matters, and the way that the term normie is often used is not a positive one. I’ve personally never seen anyone refer to themself proudly as a normie, have you? And the other is that we’re referring to normies, a group we ostensibly don’t belong to, as a homogeneous blob which is obviously not accurate.
I doubt anyone’s feelings are especially hurt if they’re called a normie, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a dismissive and usually negatively valenced term used to refer to a massive and diverse group of people.
To me, normie just signifies a person outside a given niche hobby.
I’m into having a Plex server in my basement. People not into that are normies in a conversation about having a Plex server. I don’t expect them to know how to setup QuickSync hardware encoding in a Plex Docker container.
I don’t like anime. To people who like anime, I’m the normie. I think Trunks is just a really cool Mastodon client. I only vaguely know it’s also a Dragonball character. If you expect me to know more than this, you’re going to be disappointed.
There’s no judgment involved.
I mean, read even just half the comments on just one page of comments here and you should see that it’s extremely common to not use the word in the manner you’re stating. We’re not talking about that nor is the poster.
I agree the way you’re using it doesn’t sound negative. But I don’t think that’s a representative use of this term. Take a look at the top few entries on urban dictionary, they don’t seem very judgement free to me…
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Normie
The point of this post is that even if you don’t mean it in the way that urban dictionary describes it, that’s how some people will interpret it.
I guess that’s something I didn’t consider. I kind of feel like that is still creating an us vs them mentality though…
But that’s pretty much what a group of people is? The people who are inside the group and those that are outside. What is the problem with this?
You missed to very key letters here. Here’s the original statement with the two key letters highlighted:
[…]creating an us →vs← them mentality though…
Nobody that I’ve seen here has said that there is no “in” or “out” vis a vis the group. The objection is over those two key letters.
The problem isn’t that that exists, it’s when people decide that not being in the group is bad, and not just a casual state of being.
No reasonable person is implying that.
This is absolutely not how you approaching communities. They literally said it creates an Us vs them mentality and you claim that as a positive? Groups are not about us vs them. At all. Nor is it how you build communities. That’s how you create echo chambers and cliques and lead to your own downfall as a community.
I mean not get too far down that rabbit hole, but I would argue that we are all human beings first and we all belong to many different groups, not just one.
And I think you’re missing my point.
of course can groups overlap, and we are all humans but that doesn’t mean that group dynamics are a bad thing?
These aren’t actual group dynamics. In any way. Exclusion and “us vs them” is not a positive group dynamic. Do not promote it.
So you’re saying there are people who DO use “normies” and people that DON’T use “normies”. These are not two groups of people. Shit, I just joined this thread, so that makes ME one of YOU, and there’s OTHERS that aren’t here. Are WE the elitists? Or are THEY the “normies”? YOU said there’s no there’s no US or THEM, so EVERYONE is talking in this thread. ANYONE not in this thread must not exist because I know I exist, so YOU thread posters must exist, but wait, that makes ME an US and YOU a THEM.
(I’m not trying to be snarky, but this argument is exactly as nonsensical.)
Buddy, are you ok? You can define “groups” by literally anything. The existence of a delineation is not “group dynamics.” Group dynamics is not the existence of a categorizational model. Group dynamics is the interaction between two groups. And the phrase used was “us vs them” and I will point out that “vs” has a very specific meaning.
What the fuck are you on about? You sound like someone on crack for their first time. I never said there was no us or them. I said there’s no reason to have us vs them. I’m not sure what part of reading comprehension you failed at, but you need to improve it.
The problem is that generalization exists.
Every person that ever met or talked to a person that is part of the non-“normie” group does not want to associate with other people that might be in the same group. I’ve experienced it myself often enough even though I don’t consider myself far gone like the people that talk to every “normie” in a condescending way, but they don’t know it.
I genuinely try to hide the fact that I have fun tinkering with my PC or programming because of that. Because I do not want people that are not tech affinitive to think ‘I’m probably just a stuck-up asshole’.
You just defined stereotyping and prejudice.
No no no, it’s stereotyping and prejudice when OTHER people do it to US. WE should tell THEM that THEY are US, and by saying this to OURSELVES we have said it to THEM, so that WE know that THEY know, but now THEY are a THEM again.
YOU don’t get it. WE get it. YOU should all be like US where there is no YOU and US, there is only the WE that is YOU and US, but thereis no YOU and US, there is only the WE that is YOU and US, but thereis no YOU and US, there is only the WE that is YOU and US, but thereis no YOU and US, there is only the WE that is YOU and US.
Simple. See? You don’t? But, YOU must because there is no…
What? I’m assuming you are using your same failed understanding of another of my comments here. If you aren’t going to actually point out what you think is wrong, but instead try to illustrate it with nonsensical statements, I can’t honestly pinpoint where communication failed. Just try using basic logic next time if you feel so inclined to elucidate whatever point you’re trying to make.
Replied to above.
There’s a hint of elitism to it though, at least as it’s commonly used.
I saw a comment the other day that referred to Instagram users as “people you wouldn’t want to associate yourself with”. I don’t know who these people think normal people are.
They probably don’t want to associate with “normal” people because they revel in their “weird” status.
Which, honestly, is kind of understandable and relatable. People are often mocked and reviled for sticking out, for being different. It makes a sad sort of sense that they’d lash out at those that represent that “normalness” that they’re told they’ll never achieve.
I certainly don’t think it’s healthy in the long term, but I can at least fathom the logic that got them there.
I think it is more self-deprecation than elitism as (in my image) normies tend to have more friends and healier relationship and hobbies.
I always hated the stereotype that Reddit was full of nothing but loser virgins trapped in their mom’s basement who had no friends and no chance of a fulfilling life.
I mean, sure there are a lot of people there (and here) that probably fit most, if not all of that stereotype, but the constant need to point out what losers we all are is problematic in so many ways. Namely that some of us do actually have friends, hobbies, and lives, but still can relate to the overall vibe of being a bit of a weirdo or a loner or whatever, but also it has a tendency to create this barrel of crabs type mental barrier where it just feels like the constant reminders of “if this is all I am, this is all I will ever be” keeps presenting itself. It’s tiring and is the reason why I always kept all the self-insulting subs like me_irl on my block list.
Tbh, it mostly sounds condescending. Like “they are the normals, as opposed to us, we are the ones that see further than them” a lot of times.
Though I did have seen things that are clearly self-aware, mostly the “NORMIES OUT REEEE”-stuff. But there is definitely both.
Many of us are also not nuerotypical. Another word for typical is normal.
Many is not all. And by creating an us vs them mentality where I’m “us” for the most part, but not for the whole part, there’s situations where the need to choose is being presented. It’s gatekeeping for the sake of gatekeeping, and really isn’t part of a healthy community of people.
I think lots of people who use “normie” unironically are creating an us vs them mentality. It’s not malicious, it’s often how they see the world. People who are “abnormal” are often othered in the world and pushed away. This is a way for others to take back being the “out” group in a little way that makes you feel less out of place.
I’m guilty of it in other facets of my life.
I’ve never seen it used unironically, but maybe I’m in different communities.
nah, you’re right
the term always gives me images of channer culture; like it reminds me when the internet as a whole thought that 4chan and its ilk were cool and elite for being shitty for “lulz”
it needs to be retired
That’s where it came from. Back in the day when everyone on 4chan was some type of “fag”:
-Newfag - new users
-Oldfag - old users
-Normalfag - normally-adjusted human being not on teh interwebz, later became shortened to “normie”I heard usage of “Normie” way back on usenet long before 4chan even existed.
Doesn’t “normie” come from /b/? I don’t think I saw it used anywhere else until shitposting subs like /r/dankmemes started calling who don’t use memes correctly normies
Uh … I was in circles that used words like “norms” and “normals” and, yes, “normies” before the Internet was a “thing”. SF fandom of the '70s was easily as nerdy and toxic as are any of today’s Internet circle jerks.
Sorry, Kiddies1, but very little of what you do is new. Sometimes the techniques are new (because technology happened) but humans have been human for, well, as long as humans have existed.
1 If you’re finding this word offensive, you might want to take a long, hard look at how you use words like the one that triggered this thread before the inevitable downvoting.
To me it means “not a computer dork”. I always interpreted it as somewhat self-deprecating.
Yh, it’s meant to be ironic.
Fucking normies, REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!
The whole “autistic screeching” thing kinda reinforces OP’s point. It’s pretty mean.
Yeah. I support the use of normies because it’s saying “I’M the weirdo here, and nobody should be expected to know this shit”. The screeching is just annoying and disrespectful to everyone. Anyone who uses it is a child.
It reinforces the point that the sort of person that calls other people normies might have mental issues and should not be taken seriously.
i feel some people use it derogatorily but i think of it as more “your average person”, in this context that would be people used to the mainstream networks and haven’t tried anything better
i try to avoid saying normies because the word kind of has a negative connotation even though some people don’t use it maliciously
Normie is a term used in many circles, not exclusively fediverse. I don’t think it’s a slur, as the people who use it aren’t inciting violence or enacting discriminatory pricing or whatever. It’s like calling a person boring.
A slur always tells you more about the person who uses it than about the person they’re referring to.
It really does say a lot when the dreaded other that they want to avoid is someone who is normal.
To be completely blunt about it, if someone uses “normie” seriously, I expect they also think they’re oppressed by age-of-consent laws and possibly also laws against rape. At the very least, they don’t own a TV because there aren’t enough lolis on basic cable.
Sucks that we have to deal with those types but I wouldn’t go so far lump them all like that. I feel like some of it might involve neurodivergent people who just don’t feel like they get the best of treatment out there. But just this elitism driven by terminally-online brain rot can get bad enough by itself, it’s not a good mindset.
Ain’t that the truth.
How about “I hate Terfs”? What does that make me?
TERF isn’t a slur, it’s an accurate descriptor.
Terfs are trans exclusionary. Terfs are on the borders of feminist thought, making them radical (and not in the cool way).
They only want it to be a slur so they aren’t accurately described as what they are.
Actually I think it is quite a stretch to call them feminists in any way. 99% of the time they ally with the far right and many of their leaders advocate against things like contraception and healthcare for women
Thats more of the term being overused. Only a vanishing small number of people are terfs.
Yeah but “Radical”… TERFS ain’t radical, nor bodacious nor totally tubular dude!
Accept everyone, that’s the TMNT way!
if terf isn’t a slur, Normie isn’t either. people seem to get irrationally upset about the word normal. normal is a well defined word, the same way cis is but it seems one group is fine with one whilst the other isn’t.
instead of focusing on labels and how much they upset you (I don’t mean who I am replying to), focus on understanding and respecting people’s differences, regardless of terminology.
“Normie” is one of the few words that I cringe over everytime I read it. I consider myself to be in, or adjacent to, the group of people that would use that word, since I am tech affinitive and that group is usually the one that uses it. But I cringe everytime I see it used unironically because I don’t want non-tech affinitive (or lesser affinitive) people to lump every person that has something to do with IT or similar into the group of people they don’t want nothing to do with because they’re always condescending towards them.
It’s literally like as if you’re saying “Did you know that I have an IQ of 150?”.
You’re not gatekeeping anyone out of your life by using that word, you’re gatekeeping yourself out of every “normal” persons life by using that word.
I 100% agree that word is cringe and I’m totally into the fediverse for the long haul, but we have to address the pachyderm in the room: The word “Fediverse” is just as cringe.
I, … I’m sorry. I can read it in a document, but the second a human being types it, I can’t take it seriously. I don’t care if folks want to shorten it to something like the FI (Federated Instances). Yes, there are other uses of the word “federate”, but it immediately sounds like a federal intraweb domain or a group of Star Trek policy makers.
“Fediverse” is “netizen 2.0.”
“Fediverse” is “cruising on the information superhighway Pro.”
Please tell me I’m not alone in thinking this.You’re not alone, no. “Fediverse” is almost, but not quite, as silly a term as “Metaverse”.
This makes a lot of sense! And I would argue if you just met me you would 1000% put me in the normie category. Buuut if you got to know me you would come to find out I’m a goofy uber nerd who works with a bunch of software engineers and loves technology and gaming and reading scientific journals on particle physics.
I quite frankly don’t want to be in either group because the entire concept of normie vs not normie is kind of silly in my opinion.
I’ve always assumed that people who use “normie” in their language are probably teenagers with superiority complex.
Normies just means people who aren’t in the in group and to me means we are the weird ones, exclusive group or have uncommon interests or knowledge.
It is important to be self aware that in the context of the fediverse and meme culture things you are use to are weird, different, and sometimes confusing. Perfect example has been the beans and the 3 day poop thing. Normal people don’t get and will think it is weird if they know nothing about the trend. Another example is I am a rock climber if I reference a jug or a sloper it means nothing to normies or people unaware of the lingo. So a jug joke isn’t something other people get
The cycle of social tech becoming mainstream and conversational norms being dragged down to a least common denominator predates modern social media. The earliest example I can think of is Usenet (newsgroups):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal_September
During the 1980s and early 1990s, Usenet and the Internet were generally the domain of dedicated computer professionals and hobbyists; new users joined slowly, in small numbers, and observed and learned the social conventions of online interaction without having much of an impact on the experienced users. The only exception to this was September of every year, when large numbers of first-year college students gained access to the Internet and Usenet through their universities. These large groups of new users who had not yet learned online etiquette created a nuisance for the experienced users, who came to dread September every year. Once ISPs like AOL made Internet access widely available for home users, a continuous influx of new users began, which continued through to 2015 according to Jason Koebler, making it feel like it is always “September” to the more experienced users.
It’s the same cycle. Social tech starts off being used by a smaller number of technically inclined people. Communities are smaller and normalized civility is more commonplace. Peer pressure holds people to those norms. Once a social tech balloons from mainstream interest, the norms (or zeitgeist if you prefer) shift toward the incoming population because they outnumber the early population and exert more peer pressure. The new norms become a compromise between the norms of the incoming mob and what the community moderators are willing/able to enforce.
It’s tempting to put a label on the incoming demographic and use it in a derogatory way, but removing the label from the equation doesn’t change the source of unhappiness; the memory of what once was and the knowledge that it can’t last when cultural dilution sets in.
(no, I’m not providing any solutions to the problem, this is just rambling that might provide more insightful people with a starting point)
I think that context is really important. I’ve mostly seen this term used by neurodivergent people when expressing frustration with not being understood by the general populace. Also, these conversations were usually in spaces created by and for neurodivergent people, so the use of normie to indicate everyone else makes sense to me. In that context, it always comes across as kind of self-deprecating to me, an acknowledgement that the person speaking isn’t considered normal because of their condition.
Based on the context you’ve described, I’m not surprised you don’t like the term. If that was were I first encountered it I wouldn’t like it either.
I just see the term to mean the opposite of specialist, or someone who is passionate about the topic.
In internet terms, it generally means not a geek.
It’s a good distinction, because for geeks, internet is something inherently interesting on a technological and philosophical level. For, well, normies, it’s just an appliance they don’t need to know much about.
Similarly if you go to a car show but don’t really know shit about cars other than they have 4 wheels, you’re a normie in that environment. Your requirements on what a car should be like, are fundamentally different from someone who likes to tweak and tinker.
I wish the term could just mean that without any negative connotations, because I don’t see anything wrong with that distinction.
Ed/add: Nobody can know everything about every topic, so everyone is a normie in some category. Usually without realising it. So that’s just it. Not necessarily an insult, and doesn’t even make much sense as one, I think.
I have seen the word normie used in almost exclusively sarcastic or tongue in cheek contexts.
I’ve only really seen it in two contexts. Mainly “don’t scare the normies”, which was largely the advice given to my larp communities to not freak out people in real life with their hobby stuff, and probably also applies to subcultures like furries and such. And secondarily as self-deprecating. I’m a Facebook meme group “Normie Has-Beens” tied to the page “Stale Memes for Normie Has-Beens”, and it’s certainly not people who consider themselves normal.
I also read the comment about the racist uncle, it was a discussion of the different kind of people facebook (I won’t call it meta) will be going to expose us when they join the fediverse. The person who post it wasn’t attacking the “normies”.
About the term “normie” isn’t necessary an insult or just a person who isn’t up with technology, but instead someone who enjoy more basic things. Is OK to be a normie if that’s makes you happy.
I don’t get why is OK for them to call us “nerds” (most of the times in a not sarcastic manner) but not for is to call them “normies” (in a sarcastic manner).
Most of the times that we invite a “normie” to the fediverse they reject us, “I don’t like that”, “facebook is better”, " that’s for nerds" they say, and that happens also with music, books, even food, they are just comfortable with how things are and that’s OK.
It isn’t that we are gatekeeping, but instead that they don’t want to join us.
That you think this isn’t condescending or portraying exactly what the poster was talking about is a bit sad. Self awareness is extremely important.
To me how you are talking about this is kind of exactly my point. The “normie” you are describing just sounds like an asshole and I think that’s the negative connotation and exclusion I’m talking about.
What would you categorize me as? I surf, skate, lift weights, travel, was in a fraternity at a major university, have a beautiful wife and live in suburbia in California close to the beach, started my career in finance and sales (not anymore though). On the flip side, I have ADHD, I have a masters in pharmaceutical sciences, I work with a team of software engineers, I game, tinker with my PC, I read scientific journals on particle physics and a ton of sci-fi and fantasy, I read tech blogs every day, I love the fediverse, etc.
See what I’m getting at? Like it is totally creating an unnecessary and unhelpful division in my eyes.
