Reddit started out without subreddits. Eventually grew too big for that so split into topical channels. Then the channel would get too big and a niche would subdivide out. When Lemmy started, or more so when there was the first big exodus from Reddit, all of that was recreated, but without the users. So we have a ton of dead communities that really need to be rolled up and cleaned up.
Active communities, period.
Reddit started out without subreddits. Eventually grew too big for that so split into topical channels. Then the channel would get too big and a niche would subdivide out. When Lemmy started, or more so when there was the first big exodus from Reddit, all of that was recreated, but without the users. So we have a ton of dead communities that really need to be rolled up and cleaned up.
That happens regularly on !fedigrow@lemm.ee