lemmy.sdf.org when it works; federation there is kinda fucked right now, so ~~I'm on lemmy.today for now.~~ I accidentally posted it from SDF. Comment if you can see this.

SDF has an extensive track record (* much longer than I have been alive*) of providing systems for the public good. If federation gets fixed (and it probably will eventually), I'll be back on SDF.

Additionally, I generally don't want the set of people I can connect with to be technically limited, like at all. Yes that includes "all the bad people" according to your (and my) individual worldview. If they're going to exist, I would prefer to have advanced notice of the danger they pose. If you suck, I will block you.

I'm not against moderated or curated instances, and for most people that is probably the way to go, but it's not what I personally need. Yes, this means that I occasionally get wild shit when I choose to scroll through All. Yes, that means I get various shades of genocide apologists and weird bigots, again when I choose not to browse by Local or Subscribed. That's why I'm subscribed to a bunch of cool, moderated communities. I choose the content I see.

That is the approach I prefer for myself. Again, I understand that it's not for everyone.

As far as instances where I'm not (yet) a member, lemmy.dbzer0.com is my favorite by far. Also while I don't have any communities on their instance, the startrek.website people seem to always have something interesting to say.