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Meta is building a decentralized, text-based social network

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Re: Meta is building a decentralized, text-based social network

#191

Post by browningstreet »

zeroonetwothree wrote: post #130
mym1990 wrote: post #83

What if, and hear me out: we ditch the idea of a better replacement social network and just ditch the concept in general? Let’s go back to not being bombarded by ads every 3rd post, to not getting lost in massive echo chambers, to not doom scrolling for 20-40% of our waking hours, being locked into mega platforms, etc... Is the proposition of “being more connected” really worth the downsides?

You do realize that social networks are optional ? No one is holding a gun to your head and forcing you to use them.

Social networks changed the world, and are now predominant in the world we live in. It's like when someone pollutes water. Our society and culture are water, and social networks are... pollutants. It's fine and normal and good to want to look at the superfund site that is our global culture and want to push social networks out of the very-toxic pollutant it happens to be, and into something we can all abide, even for those who only drink beer or use charcoal filters. Plus, you never know what the kids next door are doing with the water...

Re: Meta is building a decentralized, text-based social network

#192

Post by onychomys »

yalogin wrote: post #133

Why is this obsession with decentralized? I don’t see the benefits of it at all. A central server is better if they have a good moderation plan built in. This whole decentralized idea is to wash their hands off moderation and not take a blame for the hellhole it will become. From a pure functional point of view, how can a decentralized network provide any performance guarantee? What am I missing?

Weirdo billionaires can't buy a decentralized network.

Re: Meta is building a decentralized, text-based social network

#193

Post by gretch »

crabbone wrote: post #155
zeroonetwothree wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You do realize that social networks are optional ? No one is holding a gun to your head and forcing you to use them.

They are optional in the same way how postal service is optional. Sure, you may just drive / sail / fly to whoever you want your package delivered... chances are you'd rebel against this seeing how everyone else simply drops their package by the nearest collection point. Social networks today provide service beyond simply catching up with friends and family. They serve as front desks of companies' customer support, t…

I think people fall into this delusion, but if you can peel yourself out of it, you’d find it’s not really true at all.

One of the best politically served groups in the US are elderly evangelical Christians - this doesn’t come from being on social media.

Re: Meta is building a decentralized, text-based social network

#194

Post by j2bax »

gruez wrote: post #188
crabbone wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They are optional in the same way how postal service is optional. Sure, you may just drive / sail / fly to whoever you want your package delivered... chances are you'd rebel against this seeing how everyone else simply drops their package by the nearest collection point. Social networks today provide service beyond simply catching up with friends and family. They serve as front desks of companies' customer support, t…

Going back to the OP, if people are voluntarily using social networks because they make it easier to catch up with friends and family, why should we "ditch the concept in general"? Should we go back to the days of communicating to each other via letters?

It would be nice if at a minimum we could demand a social network that caters to making meaningful connection points with friends/family/strangers rather than ad serving algos. I know... the people have spoken and they want free stuff and are willing to sell their data/soul for it. I just wish it wasn't so! If a company built a product that was primarily designed to make me love it and find it valuable enough to pay for it I would be all in. But if the rest of my friends/family aren't in... then its pretty meaningless. I'll just have to keep relying on more manual methods of social media like texting, calls etc.

Re: Meta is building a decentralized, text-based social network

#195

Post by RobotToaster »

exitb wrote: post #81
salmonellaeater wrote: post #31

> Individual servers would let different groups set their own community standards, though likely with a “floor” of rules set by Meta, in a fashion similar to how Reddit’s individual communities work. This is not praise. Reddit bans people for expressing widely held beliefs. Subreddit mods are required to enforce the site-wide rules regardless of the subreddit's own preferences. As another commenter put it [1], the pr…

That's roughly how Mastodon works. Each instance is responsible for moderation of their own users. If an instance does not meet arbitrary standards of moderation, other instances may choose not to federate with them, but nothing can stop willing instances from federating.

Unfortunately that's ended up with a netsplit between covenanted and free servers, some servers will even de-federate you for federating with the "wrong" servers. So the only way to access the whole fediverse is either have multiple accounts, or run your own server.

Re: Meta is building a decentralized, text-based social network

#196

Post by freewizard »

using Instagram login is not decentralized, a text-based social network prototype doesn't sounds a lot of work, are they dusting off one project in past hackathon to make the news?

Meta do have some good cryptography work and talent in FB msg / Whatsapp, that may lead them to build a somewhat ATP/Bluesky competitor. With that said, they are really behind in this game.

My main concern is these new product from social OG will still be likely ad driven model, which made Facebook/Twitter what they are today.

Re: Meta is building a decentralized, text-based social network

#197

Post by melling »

rchaud wrote: post #158
melling wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[Successful] Companies build what consumers want. You aren’t locked into social networks. Don’t use them. Consumers vote with their dollars. The constant noise of “Paywall” is why so much is ad based. So, if you’ve got a better idea, build it and see if they come. [Updated] Clarified that I meant successful companies.

> Companies build what consumers want. This isn't at all true. If it were, WeWork and Uber and Doordash would all be profitable and wouldn't need eye-watering levels of subsidies. Companies build whatever the purse strings holder is comfortable with them building.

Sure, people try all kinds of ideas…. The “Uber of…”

I suppose I should have said “successful companies”

Re: Meta is building a decentralized, text-based social network

#198

Post by melling »

OgAstorga wrote: post #138
melling wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[Successful] Companies build what consumers want. You aren’t locked into social networks. Don’t use them. Consumers vote with their dollars. The constant noise of “Paywall” is why so much is ad based. So, if you’ve got a better idea, build it and see if they come. [Updated] Clarified that I meant successful companies.

Companies build what consumers want. You aren’t locked into Heroin. Don’t use it. Consumers vote with their dollars. So, if you’ve got a better idea, synthesize it and see if they come.

Time to take some personal responsibility!!!

It’s only social media.

We’ve gone way too far in needing others to help us.

“Someone help me stop using [favorite social media company]”

Re: Meta is building a decentralized, text-based social network

#199

Post by idiotsecant »

hungryforcodes wrote: post #163
christehaaland wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

young people will always want a social network that connects them to their peers before they realize the damaging effects of it. Even if warned, guaranteed they won't care at first

Connecting people with their peers is most certainly not damaging-- any more than socializing in general. Facebook started off GREAT! I singed up almost as soon as it was available to the general public (remember it was just open to university students at first). At that time my timeline was basically text only and the content came from only my friends. It was like a fun online party -- not unlike online chat systems…

It certainly is quite damaging because that connection isn't an accurate representation of a real-world connection. When you see someone in the real world you see them sneeze, you see them cry, you see their successes and their failures. When you are 'friends' with someone on social media you see a carefully curated window into a reality that doesn't exist. This gives young people unrealistic expectations for themselves and others that I would certainly call damaging. It takes all the healthy parts of human interaction, processes them , and spits out a refined version coated in advertisements.

It's not new (we've been doing that to young people since media was invented) but the level of pervasiveness is.

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