When mindlessly browsing Reddit, I found that I usually just jump directly to the comments, read a couple, and continue. Lemmy seems a bit more curated (read: smaller), and therefore it’s easier to actually engage in discussions, which leads me to read the article, think critically about it, and respond (if I have something to say) in the comments–bigger is not always better!
I was definitely of the check the comments to see if the article was worth the click mentality. Too much clickbait and spam to bother otherwise.
However, one thing I’m hesitant to do here is start the conversation when it’s just an article with no comment or commentary given. I tend to just read and move on.
It’s like “oh, that’s interesting,” and then I’m on to the next thing.