I’ve been around for a few migrations to the #Fediverse. They follow similar patterns.

First, some Big Social service does something bad, something so egregious it pisses off a vocal set of people on Big Social.

A bunch of people on Big Social realize they don’t want to be beholden to some company trying to get rich off their work, so they look for an alternative. They land on the Fediverse because it’s the one space that is resistant to centralized control. They want something specific: social media that is decentralized. This first group of migrants tends to be the most enthusiastic.

The next group of people who migrate don’t care as much about centralization or decentralization. But they like the first group, and they generally want to be supportive so they take the step of migrating.

After that comes a group motivated by FOMO. They see something happening, want to be part of it, and go where they perceive the crowd is going. They like the high of a mass movement happening, and love participating in something bigger than themselves. This group is very influential, as they generate hype and a sense that the Fediverse is “the hotness”.

Thereafter comes influencers, usually people who are influential on other platforms and want to go where they believe the audience is going. But not always. Some of them are wannabe influencers with dreams of grandeur, and want to be “first” at a space they perceive is in its infancy.

What’s next? Journalists. And to be specific, I’m not talking about journalists who are already active on the Fediverse, but those who come in cold, are already overworked, and are probably bitter about visiting what they perceive to be a convoluted nerd “site”. They don’t understand what’s going on, but they were given an assignment from their editor, and so they have to write something – anything – to explain it (what they perceive to be it) to the masses.

Finally, there’s the “mainstream”. These are people who read something in Android Authority or the New Yorker or the Washington Post, have minimal curiosity, and try registering an account. They give what they initially think is a “site” a glance, just so they can say they’re in the know. They now know what the big deal is, or think they do.

Most of these migrants won’t be here for the long term. And some of them might even become detractors, angry that the Fediverse doesn’t work like “everything else”. And that’s okay. The Fediverse can’t be all things to all people – yet.

However, there will also be some who stay because they realize there’s something about the Fediverse that speaks to them. These people become incredibly active, big evangelists for the Fediverse, telling people they know about its benefits.

Each migration builds the network effect of the Fediverse. Each migration builds awareness.

And more importantly, each migration builds further upon what is possible with the Fediverse.