Remember that Reddit also started off small, then grew, then got bought, then turned into shit (*). However, I think that Lemmy has a greater chance of surviving as long as people keep everything truly decentralized. We shouldn't all flock to "lemmy.world" or any other one Lemmy instance. Because if we do, that specific Lemmy instance will also be sold (along with the userbase) and turned into a corporate money-making machine.

(*) Some would argue that Reddit has always been shit, but that's besides the point...

Super interesting read. Points out that the main strategy for gobbling up open source protocols is to adopt the standard, then expand on it, creating a "better" version for those using their ecosystem (and driving out those who aren't)

I just wonder, hope, that this ecosystem stays innovative and big enough to always be better than corporate alternatives. We've sorta hit the point in my mind where the major players in social media have made all their products... Awful. Just terrible to be on. The tracking, the ridiculous amounts and types of ads, the constant censorship and rule > changes, all in pursuit of monetization. I just hope they continue to shoot themselves in the foot too much to draw people back in even if they're federated. Reddit sucks now, Twitter is failing, everything of Meta has sucked for a long time. Hopefully people agree moving forward that open source replacements are good enough and being enough benefits to push these turds out. I'm sick of the internet being controlled by massive corporations.

Great read!

I remember me using software called trillian that supported logins to all chat networks, so I could use ICQ, Google, MSN and AOL all at the same time

Well that was disheartening to read. Money and greed ruining everything.

Okay, but realistically, how can we prevent this from happening in the future?

We’ve already, according to the article, dodged one bullet; but there’s no reason to expect that it’ll be the only one.

Also, due to the nature of the Fediverse being open source, there’s no way to prevent Facebook or other corporate monstrosities from building their own hooks.

I think we need to be prepared to preemptively defederate from the likes of Google, Reddit, Facebook or whatever. Not just this instance, but the greater Fediverse should have a United policy to reject association with those who would consume us and spit us out.

See also: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embrace,_extend,_and_extinguish

This was a great article... thanks OP.

YSK?

Thank you OP, it surely is enlightning. I think that the only real thing that can be done is keep this place anti-corporate. This will result in a maybe not so polished and popular environment but surely more true to it's mission.

Embrace, extend, extinguish. Google also did that to rss/atom.

If this had any grounding in reality, Firefox would be used as little as Cello. Don't buy into conspiracy theories. Don't get me wrong: a company could try this but it wouldn't be sustainable.

Here is a GPT4 tldr summary, and thoughts on how to avoid this from happening to us:

Summary:

• The Fediverse is a decentralized network of servers communicating through the ActivityPub protocol.

• Large corporations like Google and Microsoft have a history of either trying to control or make decentralized networks irrelevant.

• Google joined the XMPP federation initially but implemented their own closed version, causing compatibility issues and slowing down the development of XMPP.

• Eventually, Google stopped federating with other XMPP servers, leading to a decline in XMPP's popularity and growth.

• Microsoft used similar tactics to hinder competing projects, such as the Samba network file system and open source office suites like OpenOffice and LibreOffice.

• The strategy involves extending protocols or developing new ones to deny entry to open source projects.

• Proprietary formats and complicated specifications are used to maintain dominance in markets.

• Meta's potential entry into the Fediverse raises concerns as it could lead to fragmentation and a loss of freedom.

• The Fediverse should focus on its values of freedom, ethics, and non-commercialism to avoid being co-opted by large corporations.

How a new federated decentralized platform can avoid this fate:

1. Stay true to the principles: The platform should prioritize and uphold the values of freedom, openness, and decentralization.

2. Develop open and robust protocols: Use open standards and ensure the protocol's specifications are transparent, well-documented, and not controlled by a single entity.

3. Foster a strong community: Encourage collaboration, participation, and diversity within the community to avoid reliance on any single company or organization.

4. Emphasize user control: Give users control over their data and privacy, allowing them to choose which servers and communities to join and ensuring their content is not subject to corporate surveillance.

5. Focus on user experience: Create a user-friendly interface and provide features that attract and retain users, making it easy for them to engage and connect with others.

6. Avoid centralization of power: Design the platform in a way that distributes authority and influence across the network, preventing any single entity from gaining too much control.

7. Promote interoperability: Support compatibility with other decentralized platforms and protocols to encourage communication and collaboration across different networks.

8. Educate and raise awareness: Educate users about the benefits of decentralized platforms, the risks of centralized control, and the importance of supporting independent, community-driven initiatives.

By following these principles, a new federated decentralized platform can strive to maintain its integrity, preserve user freedom, and resist the influence of large corporations seeking to control or make it irrelevant.