I’m confident that the Fediverse will last. Sure, there’s a lot of challenges with having nodes that can choose to not federate with each other; However, a large majority should federate over time so there can be cross-collaboration. At its worst case, we’ll have some segmented nodes that, while unfederated, will still foster good communities. Nodes will come and go.
While these large, centralized services for social media exist, people will always gravitate toward convenience. Unless catastrophe strikes, Reddit, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. will always exist. But the fediverse gives us choice in a system where we generally had no choice but to use those platforms. After all, the alternative was old Forums that still had a solid userbase while other Forums collapsed and disappeared. If you provide a similar or better service to centralized services that is also convenient and user-friendly, then people will join the fediverse.
At the moment it is nascent, complex, and requires some confidence. Things that seem simple such as searching for another Community on another instance and joining it can be difficult for users to grasp. Over time this will get better.
Having grown up alongside the internet in its infancy, I’ve been very appreciative to experience the way in which it has changed over time. We’re seeing another gradual shift, and a massive user base will associate with the fediverse. It’s not going anywhere, but it certainly will never topple these massive corporations that have invested heavily into centralizing power, capturing the regulators and markets, and establishing themselves as information cartels that feast on the flow of money in the economy (read: parasitic leeches).
At the end of the day, I couldn’t care less about these other social media platforms. I’ve embraced decentralization and am having a blast here with the fediverse. It reminds me of the earlier days of the internet. I’m excited to see where this evolves and also watch it grow.
I’m confident that the Fediverse will last. Sure, there’s a lot of challenges with having nodes that can choose to not federate with each other; However, a large majority should federate over time so there can be cross-collaboration. At its worst case, we’ll have some segmented nodes that, while unfederated, will still foster good communities. Nodes will come and go.
While these large, centralized services for social media exist, people will always gravitate toward convenience. Unless catastrophe strikes, Reddit, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. will always exist. But the fediverse gives us choice in a system where we generally had no choice but to use those platforms. After all, the alternative was old Forums that still had a solid userbase while other Forums collapsed and disappeared. If you provide a similar or better service to centralized services that is also convenient and user-friendly, then people will join the fediverse.
At the moment it is nascent, complex, and requires some confidence. Things that seem simple such as searching for another Community on another instance and joining it can be difficult for users to grasp. Over time this will get better.
Having grown up alongside the internet in its infancy, I’ve been very appreciative to experience the way in which it has changed over time. We’re seeing another gradual shift, and a massive user base will associate with the fediverse. It’s not going anywhere, but it certainly will never topple these massive corporations that have invested heavily into centralizing power, capturing the regulators and markets, and establishing themselves as information cartels that feast on the flow of money in the economy (read: parasitic leeches).
At the end of the day, I couldn’t care less about these other social media platforms. I’ve embraced decentralization and am having a blast here with the fediverse. It reminds me of the earlier days of the internet. I’m excited to see where this evolves and also watch it grow.