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it definitely can be frustrating when you find a niche corner of the internet thats sweet and has its nice little community norms, but the more people join that community ā if the norms arenāt super clear ā the more those norms become a little obscured. iām of the opinion that you can use the app however you want, WHO CARES. but it is nice to have a community where you have a shared language and norms :) i think thatās super human :)
soOooOoOoOoOo my understanding of the intention of the app was that this was for recs and then asking for recs. but you can use artistic license to communicate whatever you want in either of those post formats. the difference i think is when people donāt pay a little homage to the original intent of the app, it can be frustrating for users who have this perceived expectation of what a post *should* be. honestly sometimes i am that person. i think i care *too* much sometimes š
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IMO ā post whatever the hell you want but if youāre post reads like āi recommend [insert title of post here] even if itās not rly a recommendation, i think itās a nice connection to the initial community norms? i also feel like it requires some thinking and a little bit of cleverness and intention ā which is so scarce on the internet that iām sure people are like oh no mr. bill what happened to my lil corner of the web? well the truth is nothing is ever ours and everything is always changing, woof!
OR do absolutely none of this and ignore this post completely!
because it hoooonestly doesnāt matter :)
i think weāre all just clinging to things and then when they change we kinda bug out because *gestures broadly at everything*
I LOVE YOU PI.FYI!!!!!!!
*to be loved is to be changed*
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Honestly I frequently wonder if Iām using this app correctly but then I remember, like you said, who cares!! #peoplearedying
1d ago
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what does it mean to push against instead of playing to the crowd? is playing to the crowd antithetical to the authentic, pre-irony space pi.fyi organically echoes from earlier internet times? lots of ways to look at this!
i get this and think it's easy if you're fluent in online spaces. i actually feel like this specific aspect of the app feels most on par with the general design and function of apps in general and thus a tiny drawback for me; seeing the sorta patterned language and text magnified in this way (i'm off all other apps). this dilution and self-referential talk kinda bums me out?? it is refreshing to see a rec that pushes against this with flowery, long passages that are less self-aware and more about actually communicating the thing than just signaling status or an in- the-knowness. me? i like a little of both...xo
Feb 13, 2024
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iām not sure what area youāre studying/working on, and which is the basis of your essay - also, as a newbie who isnāt well-versed on the culture here - i guess iāll just say some random misc thoughts about my experience so far!
there is something about this interface, i.e. the fonts, the emojis, the formatting, the colours, etc, thatās all so incredibly nostalgic of early tech. it looks like an elevated version of the bare websites they had us build with html/css in ict class. it also feels like a more text- and community-based tumblr, another platform that i found a lot of comfort and joy being on. i donāt have the introspection or technical knowledge to pinpoint what exactly it is about PI, and similar platforms (like tumblr) that makes them safe and comforting/less stressful to use compared to others, so iād be interested in seeing whether this is something your essay will touch on, or define!
maybe itās because itās still new and with a smaller user base than Big SMā¢ļø sites, but the culture here doesnāt seem to care about how many followers you have, or in getting the highest amount of engagement on everything you post! itās an even playing field where everyone iāve seen is just enthusiastic, helpful and thoughtful in their recs or general comments. a small detail, but i also like that specific ālikeā numbers arenāt displayed - it (maybe unintentionally?) removes a lot of subliminal pressure to up that figure!
PI is a happy, unencumbered space that makes you feel like a (pre-)teen exploring early tech and social platforms again, except instead of it being a collection of people u know irl, itās basically a bunch of friends from all over. and thatās something thatās been sorely missed, or perhaps even erased, from the cultures of other social media sites. thereās so much individualism and criticism there, and when you donāt receive engagement, youāre basically talking to yourself bc the algorithm wonāt pick up your posts & have them show up for other people.
thereās always something so special and personal when social sites such as this are in their early days, when the people participating are still genuine in their pursuit on them. the people gravitating towards being here are probably looking for the same thing as well, so i hope for nothing more than for it to stay like this.
Apr 26, 2024
I am going to speak on this both within the PI.FYI ecosystem and outside, in my real life. I consider myself to be gregarious in a way where I am often holding wonderful conversations with wonderful people who do not share my interests. By being immensely charming and well-spoken (or perhaps by having very very patient friends and acquaintances), I find myself able to talk about things I like without boring another person. I donāt think a lot of my taste is something that goes viral with people on this site, or is interesting to people who I get along with. Iām a gemini and I do feel the pull to try and alter myself to who Iām talking to, but I think the ability to just be earnest about yourself will get you way farther and help you develop much more meaningful relationships than just Mirroring Your Way Through Life. If you lead through life with a genuine desire to connect and care and make people leave the room feeling better, I donāt think it matters if youāre a geek or freak, I think it just matters that you were honest.
Iāve had one or two viral posts on PI.FYI, but the recs Iāve been most excited to write are for a comic book or video game. Those recs donāt get any likes at all. And honestly I think thatās perfectly fine, because beyond being just a platform to connect with earnest people, this is an archive of interests and personality. In 700 years when the digital museum archivists are sifting through all the internet servers that havenāt eroded, putting together The Final Digital Archive Of You or Somebody or Whatever, I put something out there that was a little bit honest. Though, I donāt think I have the impulse to leave behind a perfect digital representation of myself. I think the most important things in life are things you canāt leave behind, because they are moments that are meant to be forgotten when you and everyone you know are gone. But one day someoneās going to be in a boring university library sifting through my recs on Grant Morrisonās bibliography, and theyāll be Wondering Why I Felt That Way. And by and large theyāll know.
Apr 6, 2025
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@TYLER
please let us be free from the commodification of the data generated from our social, whimsical, and sincere, free expression
the sincerity of this app is because itās different from those other apps :/ why do we need metrics on how we socialize? š«©š«©š«©š«©š®āšØš®āšØ
iām curious as much as i am sad about the decision to make the star count visible. is that what its proper name is? or are we calling it likes? š
Apr 23, 2025
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i've been seeing piffies posting about, and I myself, have experienced The Yearn.
i've sat with my feelings about relationships through many seasons. i was with someone for 10 yrs, we got engaged, i broke it off. although he was an incredible person, he was not my soulmate. i've had a few relationships since then and have felt The Yearn.
after being dumped this weekend i have some thoughts to ask myself when looking at dating / The Yearn.
1 -- are you seeking connection or attention?
2 -- is your relationship an excuse for you to not work on other parts of yourself you know you need to take time to face?
3 -- how are your friendships? do you have people behind you that will see you through any season? keep those people around FOREVER. maybe marry them instead.... lmao š³
4 -- have you dated yourself? was it full of joy and love?
5 -- can you (within reason - we can NOT exist and heal with out each other) meet your own needs and care for yourself?
6 -- how honest are you with yourself? you'll only ever be able to be that honest with other people, no matter the relationship.
7 -- are you just trying to follow a story arc that you *think* you *should* follow? see link: relationship escalator
my goals right now are to build up a family of people that will be with me forever! it's not a ton of people but it's enough! if i find a "soulmate" or "love of my life" along the way then like... nice šš but like that's not my GOAL. if you are young and reading this, i wish i knew in my 20s (am 31) what i am writing in this post. i g2g tho ~ ily, be well!
Mar 17, 2025
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this might be pessimistic, but i think iāve finally learned this lessonā¦
if you can recognize icky behavior in other people and leave at that first sign, you will have significantly more stable, meaningful relationships of any kind.
do not rationalize their poor behavior and give them the benefit of the doubt. move on.
i wish i started doing this sooner.
Apr 21, 2025