IDK, according to some estimates, we're somewhere between 400k-1M. Still small, but starting to get interesting from an astroturfing perspective, especially since many people here are unlikely to be on sites with ads.
Fair question. I think it's a pretty low percentage because it is still pretty niche, but I'm seeing more and more bots now that people have figured out how to make them.
ads
Don't understand what that has to do with anything.
If lemmy users are more likely to use ad blockers and whatnot, then the best way to target them is with SM posts. So if you know you're missing a certain percentage of potential customers, then it could make sense to change your advertising strategy.
For example, astroturfing may be more costly on a platform like Facebook than directly using the advertising platform, and it works because most users there don't block ads. Lemmy doesn't have ads, so the only way to advertise to those users would be through engagement with the platform.
I think he was just explaining what the other person meant. You're inferring or assuming a subtext of disagreement or antagonism that I'm just not seeing.