cross-posted from: lemmy.world/post/41287350
Lately, on Reddit, I’ve been seeing a lot of posts about Amino shutting down or ceasing operations, which got me thinking.
For anyone unfamiliar: Amino is/was a mobile-first platform built around interest-based communities (fandoms, hobbies, media franchises, etc.). Each “Amino” functioned like its own mini-social network with:
Dedicated community spaces
User profiles
Posts, blogs, polls, and comments
Group chats & DMs
A strong emphasis on fandom and niche interests
It filled a space somewhere between forums, Discord, and social media — especially popular with fandoms and younger communities.
After seeing so many shutdown posts, I had a random thought:
What if there were a Fediverse-based alternative (or answer) to Amino?
Something like:
Federated, interest-specific communities
Community autonomy/moderation
Profiles that persist across instances
Discovery of niche fandoms without being locked into one corporate platform
I know that platforms like Mastodon, Lemmy, Kbin, Misskey, Friendica, etc. already exist, but none of them seem to directly replicate Amino’s “many micro-communities under one umbrella” vibe — especially with a mobile-friendly, fandom-first focus.
Personally, I’d love to help something like this exist — but realistically, I don’t have the time, energy, or technical knowledge to build or maintain such a project. This is more of a “thought experiment + community question” than a proposal.
So I’m curious what the Fediverse crowd thinks:
Does a Fediverse alternative to Amino already exist and I’ve just missed it?
Is the Fediverse even a good fit for that kind of community structure?
What challenges would something like this face (moderation, UX, onboarding, federation)?
Do you think displaced Amino communities would actually migrate to the Fediverse?
Interested to hear thoughts from people more familiar with Fediverse architecture and community dynamics.
There’s also apparently a spiritual successor in Kyodo
NONE_dc@lemmy.world 1 day ago
While on a technical level, the fediverse is entirely capable of something similar to Amino, and a platform could be created that replicates its functionality 1:1, I believe the main problem is one of image.
On the outside, the fediverse is seen as an overly “nerd-centric” place, a place where “they only talk about Linux, FOSS,” and “nerdy” things in general. And it’s often the discussions around those topics that seem to have the most visibility around here, while the few communities about hobbies and fandoms that you can find have mostly modest to low interaction.
The thing is, no one likes to feel like they’re talking to themselves. That’s why many artists and people immersed in their fandoms gravitate to places like BlueSky or Tumblr, or don’t want to leave a cesspool like Twitter, even with their more hostile environments towards them: they have the perception that in those places they will have more opportunity to interact, whether that perception is unfounded or not.
If one create a platform like Amino, for fandoms and communities, I think the technical aspects are the least important thing. One have to create an image of an environment that is attractive and enjoyable so that people who are not so interested in technology will want to join.
cecilkorik@piefed.ca 1 day ago
This is all true, but there’s also an awful lot of overlap between many fandoms and many nerds so it doesn’t seem totally far fetched that this might make a good home for at least a bunch of fandoms eventually. startrek.website is already here for example.
NONE_dc@lemmy.world 1 day ago
I know. What I said was more aimed at focusing any efforts to promote the proliferation of fandoms in the fediverse on creating a good image of it for that purpose, rather than creating more projects that may not have the desired acceptance and reach.