[…] you can create and share json files of blocked instances/communities without overwriting other user settings

I finally got around to testing this and found that it doesn’t overwrite existing blocks, merely adds them to your existing list. I made sure that the import file only contained new blocks and not duplicates to verify. You have to refresh the page to see the changes, and may take a few seconds depending on list length/instance performance, but it works.

For what it’s worth on the newer versions of Lemmy with the ability to import settings files, you can create and share json files of blocked instances/communities without overwriting other user settings. Not as streamlined as what you’re describing, but it’s an option given current circumstances.

E.g.
blocklist.json
{"blocked_communities":["https://lemmy.site/c/meh","https://lemmy.site/c/mehbutmoremeh"],"blocked_instances":["unpleasantlemmy.site","lemming.mean"]}

Some other thread had me trying to remember this the other day, so cheers on posting it. Might be worth adding to a pinned thread/sidebar as a resource (alongside various newcommunities and promo communities).

Then they were able to take that game away from me and replace it with something I liked far less. This is inevitable for any live service game; if not replacing the game you liked with something else, then its removal altogether so that no one can play it anymore in any form. It sucks.

This is a good, concise way to describe one of the subtler problems with these types of game. At least with some of them, if they’re sold without DRM, you can keep the version you like, but more often than not, those are few and far between.

I honestly can’t say I know who social media is even for at this point. There is so much content promoting unhealthy ways of thinking just haphazardly strewn about everywhere. I don’t know how anyone can avoid it all. I don’t know if the benefits can outweigh the costs. Even the most harmless content is forgettable and eats up valuable time that could be used for something more meaningful.

Sometimes I think about how we never see any posts from the happiest people alive. They don’t need social media validation, their positivity wouldn’t generate clicks, and the negativity of social media platforms probably scared them off long ago. As a result of their absence, negativity and unhealthy thought patterns have proliferated unchallenged.

I think you’ve found the larger part of the Internet you don’t relate to anymore with this. Not necessarily the Internet as a whole, but the subset of social media, and the subset within that of the many expressing how bummed they are with things (to put it lightly).

When you shift or fine-tune your focus to use the Internet as it was originally built for (sharing info, collaborative research/creative work), you’ll find it more useful and maybe more pleasant. This is more or less what I’ve tried to do more and more after fumbling about with social media stuff for awhile and experiencing my own growing disinterest in the bummer parts of it.

Speaking of books btw, if you’re into public domain work and ebooks, give Standard Ebooks a look! Similar to Project Gutenberg (also great) with more attention to nicer formatting.