I've found that interaction here mostly happens around a few major topics and not much else. Bitcoin topics, Nostr topics, and a few other niches that almost always tie back into Bitcoin and Nostr somehow. I can't recall ever interacting with anyone here who has had zero involvement with those topics. I have opinions, but I'm not putting judgment on this here. It's just an observation I've made after being here almost daily over several years.
Discussion
I think there are also UX issues that makes Nostr less accessible to people who aren't already used to adopting novel tech (like Bitcoiners and Nostr developers). My observation, if true, makes total sense. But it also makes Nostr feel like a quiet monoculture.
Anyone who doesn't care very deeply about monetary issues or Nostr development will probably be bored here. And it isn't as simple as just spinning up an npub and posting other stuff until we attract people who are deeply interested in that other stuff. I hope nostr:nprofile1qqsr7acdvhf6we9fch94qwhpy0nza36e3tgrtkpku25ppuu80f69kfqppemhxue69uhkummn9ekx7mp0qyghwumn8ghj7mn0wd68ytnhd9hx2tcpzamhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumn0wd68ytnzv9hxgtcmuvweu is right and I think most of us here do. It isn't like we're intentionally being exclusive. It's just natural since we all align so well on some base topics. But it's hard to outgrow as well.
As far as novel tech adoption is concerned, I’d say I’m a person that will try things toward the middle of the “early adopters” phase. I am really interested in money, what it is and what it isn’t. I often give 1 on 1’s about it but I don’t usually mention bitcoin I us an old silver dollar. That’s hard enough for most people to wrap their heads around. “How much is that (silver dollar) worth?” “One dollar, but you’re not using dollars you’re using federal reserve notes” Then I bring out my silver certificates and try to get them to understand from there. The silver dollar is still the silver dollar but if they wanted one they’d need $50+ Federal notes… pic tangentially related
Well it’s a good thing that I’m hyperfocused on ₿ at the moment and in a bit of a transition. Despite being in it since like 2013 (and never ever being a shitcoiner) I’m only just now beginning to “get” what it really is. When I first heard about it in 2011, people told me I could “send money over the internet” and I was like “I can do that with paypal right now, I don’t need bitcoin” it took 13 years and getting debanked to learn that I actually did need bitcoin. I wish I’d aped in sooner.
Sure, but that doesn't change my point. I can imagine Nostr seems like a big circle jerking cult to a normie. I can understand WHY Nostr probably isn't attracting people in my culture (people who don't yet need it as much as they will). I can't speak for others and this is an anecdote that could be totally wrong. There's also what I call 'technical-value misalignment.' For example, follow count. Follow count is prized on all of the major legacy networks, even if people are aware of bots forming those numbers. Some people even pay for them to pump the numbers because it's so valuable. Yet on Nostr, it's hard to even get an accurate count of anything. It's so novel (and bigger than social media) that people struggle to get it. I think the only way past that is some mainstream use case that don't drown people in Bitcoin and Nostr related content, as much as I love both.