Well, lemme answer those two questions:

Kinda in the middle

Yes, Dessalines’ development of Lemmy, as it is, is important for FOSS substitute against reddit, and thus has a bit of a crucial role… however, I’d say there are other competitors for that role (though its political purpose cannot be denied in its performance)

So I’d say it’s less crucial than organizing leftists and potentials in real life… but still a bit important

Honestly, just call me back when they use this platform for organizing full-time…

Nearly everyone in the west is online. There isn’t a “real life” and a “fake online life.”

Creating the tools to build community is important. Having places to share information and resources and experiences outside of spaces controlled by big tech is important and could become even more so if communism really threatens the status quo. That makes tools like lemmy useful.

However, it’s also on the community to treat these alternative spaces as valuable, as something that can be that resource for people, and as a community that matters. Dessalines and others might have built the tools but it is on us to put them to use.

Software developers,

Lemmy isn’t the only one. There’s Kbin.

I wouldn’t say equally important, only because in the situation of someone doing 100% online work compared to someone doing 100% physical life work, you’d obviously prefer the latter.

However it’s important to recognize the very real benefits online communist activity has. Fuck, that’s what got me involved. That’s where I got most of my information. It’s where I learned to discuss well, it played a humongous developmental role in becoming a communist that does things irl too.

Like others have said, we need tech spaces not controlled by major corporations. We need places that don’t censor us, that we can confidently post things and organize on. Especially when things get more spicy here in the states. That is, in my opinion, a real life benefit.

We can’t expect just working online to change anything, but we sure as hell can use the crazy amount of people online and useful tools that the internet has to bolster our movement. Full solidarity with our software commies.

*I’d like to make an edit/clarification because after thinking some more, they’re about as close to being equally important as you can get in today’s age. Specifically in the west. Even in the scenario I created earlier, it’s better to have both of those people than just one, because the online-commie can absolutely assist the real-life commie in many tangible and not tangible ways. I think of the research done and articles gathered from those of us on this platform, that never could’ve happened if it were just me researching. Having a, for lack of a better term, think tank designed for us is really important for developing correct ideas and discussion.

I mean… historically… somebody had to keep the printing presses running that were used to distribute newsletters by the various revolutionary groups right?

So maybe, not so much a “more important/less important” hierarchy and more of a “one cog in a system and another cog in a system”.

This question reeks of terminal onlineness