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Why are there so many Germans on Lemmy? (lemmy.ml)

submitted 2 days ago by SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

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Nothing against Germans, I'm just wondering why, outside of the English internet, it got such high adoption in Germany compared to eg. France or Spain. I see next to no French/Spanish/etc. content on here in comparison

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[–] SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml 13 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (3 children)

Hmm that's fascinating. I didn't realize you guys had such a strong cultural tendency towards privacy. Do you think there's a specific thing that caused it, or has it always been this way?

[–] cageythree@lemmy.ml 16 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Hmm I don't know actually, but now I'm curious too. From quick search:

As the newspaper Handelsblatt explains, “angst about potential surveillance is rooted in Germany’s past.” The combined legacy of the Nazi Gestapo and the East German Stasi are thought to be part of the reason Germany has been a pioneer in data protection — with legislation dating back to the 1970’s.

https://www.codastory.com/surveillance-and-control/coronavirus-germany-privacy/

[–] SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml 4 points 2 days ago

Interesting, although seeing as being sensitive about privacy isn't as big in other post communist countries (at least not here in Czechia), I assume it must just be a generic cultural trait

[–] Lileath@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 2 days ago

Most of this privacy fetish is purely performative though. The Schufa is a dystopian data collector with information on every German and despite a token focus on data privacy politicians pass more and more surveillance laws like using Palantir for the police and crackdowns on free speech and protesting in general.

[–] Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 2 days ago

Half of Google streetview is blurred here

I think it took us 4 or 5 years of frog boiling until street view cars were allowed here (and only once google made it possible to have your home be censored)