Tldr: The answer is actually to outcompete them. People will use the app/website that brings them more value.

They already have the ability to subscribe to a thread and get notifications for new posts, quote posts, and an optional algorithm that recommends you stuff based on your likes. Things mastodon does not have will be coming fast to Threads. When they decide to come for Lemmy they will have features they see people begging too.

If its way easier and more useful to find information on Threads and their version of Lemmy people will start using it more and more. If AskDocs, AskHistorians, LegalAdvice and other useful subs popped up on a Meta version of Lemmy I would use a Lemmy instance that federated with it because its valuable information I want access to.

Just like twitter and instagram are basically required right now for 3D artists to find jobs, we will be required to use Facebook’s version of twitter, reddit, and instagram if they get the huge user base that twitter and reddit are pushing away, tiktok might lose from a ban, and they already have from instagram.

I hate facebook/meta but if its the best place to find information and work i will use it just like i currently begrudgingly use instagram for finding work.

We need to realize that evangelizing like Stallman is NOT how we grow the open web and FOSS. it’s by making killer apps/hardware like the Steam Deck did so well. People don’t use tech for the philosophy behind it, they use it as a tool to complete their task or improve their day. At the end of the day the best tool wins, not the most ethically made tool.

Currently the best thing we could do is get Lemmy to work better with mastodon and vice versa. Thats done by allowing Lemmy accounts to follow Lemmy and Mastodon accounts and by improving the UX for a Lemmy post to be made with mastodon so people post to a community like they would use a hashtag