As users flee from Twitter/X, two visions of social media's future compete: Mastodon's community-controlled network versus Bluesky's venture-backed promises. The difference isn't just technical—it's about whether we'll finally break free from the profit-driven cycle that has degraded every major social platform.
But maybe some kind of resilience to the forces of destruction plaguing commercial social media.
This isn’t going to be the effective slogan that turns the masses who are finally just barely starting to fill Bluesky.
As soon as any platform sees a measure of success, it becomes a product and thus vulnerable. If we want social media that isn’t just a massive propaganda and advertising machine, I feel like we need to change something else.
Like physically storming corporate offices and returning the means of production to the people?
The mastodon is not a platform though, it’s a protocol/standard and the software to run it. Individual mastodon services/platforms will come and go. I think if they become too much of a product (and enshittify), then people will leave, because they can without much pain.
I don’t think anyone is claiming technical superiority. And certainly not financial superiority.
But maybe some kind of resilience to the forces of destruction plaguing commercial social media.
This isn’t going to be the effective slogan that turns the masses who are finally just barely starting to fill Bluesky.
As soon as any platform sees a measure of success, it becomes a product and thus vulnerable. If we want social media that isn’t just a massive propaganda and advertising machine, I feel like we need to change something else.
Like physically storming corporate offices and returning the means of production to the people?
Maybe.
The mastodon is not a platform though, it’s a protocol/standard and the software to run it. Individual mastodon services/platforms will come and go. I think if they become too much of a product (and enshittify), then people will leave, because they can without much pain.