Subnostr

Let’s talk about Nostr.

A lot of people bring this up, and I tend to agree: Nostr has some pretty cool technology. The idea of keeping things simple with dumb relays—no servers, just communication between two clients—and the whole public key/private key authentication schema is genuinely appealing. I like that, and I think a lot of others do too.

Of course, no tech is perfect. You can always look at it and think, “Well, I’d do this differently.” But for something designed to be simple, it really succeeds at being simple.

Now, what keeps most people away from Nostr is all the Bitcoin talk. They get there and it’s “Bitcoin, Bitcoin, Bitcoin”—non-stop. That turns people off because it makes Nostr seem like a single-topic space. I don’t blame them. Bitcoin alienates a lot of people. Personally, I have no interest in Bitcoin. I dipped my toes into crypto for about a year, but it wasn’t for me. I found better opportunities elsewhere, and I’m happy with those.

Here’s what I’ve discovered, though: when people talk about Bitcoin on Nostr, they’re not really talking about Bitcoin. That threw me for a loop. All the memes, the glowing-eye profile pics—it looks like it’s about Bitcoin, but it’s not. What’s actually happening is an in-group/out-group dynamic. Bitcoin is just a marker for identifying affinity and pushing outsiders away.

If you can tolerate that noise and keep doing your thing, you eventually find people who don’t care about Bitcoin at all. It’s strange, but it happens. I’ve been using Nostr off and on for about two years but started posting consistently maybe three or four weeks ago. Mostly, I cross-post from the Fediverse. That’s it. But I’ve started having real conversations with people—interactions about social media, capital, big tech, all kinds of things. And here’s the kicker: a lot of folks on Nostr actually agree with my critiques. The difference is they think the solution is becoming like the people they’re criticising.

For example, they see the problem with Zuckerberg and think, “We can stop him by becoming him.” I don’t think that works. Sure, with hard work and luck, you might improve your lot in life. But becoming a billionaire? That usually requires a big push—like help from the Bank of Mum and Dad.

I’m not here to argue with people or convince them I’m right. But I like speaking in spaces where my opinions might not be invited. That’s part of what draws me to Nostr—I stand out because I don’t follow the community memes or the Bitcoin chatter. I’m naturally sceptical of in-group dynamics, and that scepticism has followed me through life. Maybe it’s because I’m autistic—I don’t know. But I’ve never felt the need to fit into the crowd.

That doesn’t mean I’m combative or against popular things. Sometimes, the in-group finds a way to make peace with me. But I never change who I am to fit in. This has been true on every social media platform I’ve used. I exist there out of stubbornness—and maybe a little spite.

Social media has burned me before. I’m pretty sure I was blackballed on Twitter for saying things they didn’t like. Even with something as benign as Instagram: I used to post about art and created a custom hashtag that became popular. Instagram blocked me from using it, even though I started it, while others piggybacked on my work. That’s when I said, “Screw you, Instagram.”

That’s why I love the Fediverse. It’s my space, my server, no algorithms, no rug pulls. If someone doesn’t like me and defederates, fine. I’m not here to please everyone—I’m here to exist.

Everywhere else—LinkedIn, Reddit, whatever—there’s always the risk of losing everything because a company decides they don’t like you. That’s why I’m drawn to decentralised platforms. I’ve even considered running my own PDS on Bluesky, even though it could get expensive. It’s worth it just to own my space and connect with others on my terms.

Back to Nostr: the tech is cool. There are no servers, no algorithms. It’s just client-to-client communication through dumb relays. That simplicity is appealing. Sure, you’re reliant on relay operators, but you can always find another relay—or run your own. Setting up a personal relay isn’t even that expensive, and many people use one just to back up their data.

Nostr is a weird place, no doubt. There’s this obsession with Bitcoin, but it’s not really about Bitcoin. It’s about in-groups and signalling.

Personally, I don’t care. I’ll keep posting there out of stubbornness and because I like being in places where I’ll never be part of the in-group. That’s just how I operate.