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> There's no technical reason they can't, but practically, a central, easily discernible destination appeals to those looking to monetize their content. That i

> There's no technical reason they can't, but practically, a central, easily discernible destination appeals to those looking to monetize their content. That is very similar to what was mentioned up-thread: > [..] we need to start by addressing the root cause of this concentration: Centralization is required to capture profit. --- > Email is a one-to-one (or few) channel vs broadcast. Completely different. ActivityPub / Diaspora / Friendica were also mentioned; email was about interop between software and service providers. --- > The arguments about decentralization/federation remind me of the early days of the Net, wherein there was so much talk of democratization, but here we are (unfortunately). Also mentioned up-thread: > The idea of disintermediation was central to the emancipatory visions of the Internet, yet the landscape today is more mediated than ever before.

unclebucknasty 5y ago
>ActivityPub / Diaspora / Friendica were also mentioned Yes, these are all examples of what's technically possible from a decentralization standpoint; yet have not flourished WRT adoption, relative to the centralized platforms. >That is very similar to what was mentioned up-thread: "[..] we need to start by addressing the root cause of this concentration: Centralization is required to capture profit. I see the article you've quoted up-thread and the author's observation is so obvious as to add little to this discussion. That is, of course it's an issue of profit. But, I suppose it does underscore that it's not the question of technology that advocates of Diaspora, etc. suggest. So, sure, my original point that we'll always tend towards centralization on platforms that benefit from network effects relies on the assumption that we'll continue to have a capitalist economy.

3 ms·

> There's no technical reason they can't, but practically, a central, easily discernible destination appeals to those looking to monetize their content. That i

by fabianhjr 5y ago

unclebucknasty 5y ago
>ActivityPub / Diaspora / Friendica were also mentioned Yes, these are all examples of what's technically possible from a decentralization standpoint; yet have not flourished WRT adoption, relative to the centralized platforms. >That is very similar to what was mentioned up-thread: "[..] we need to start by addressing the root cause of this concentration: Centralization is required to capture profit. I see the article you've quoted up-thread and the author's observation is so obvious as to add little to this discussion. That is, of course it's an issue of profit. But, I suppose it does underscore that it's not the question of technology that advocates of Diaspora, etc. suggest. So, sure, my original point that we'll always tend towards centralization on platforms that benefit from network effects relies on the assumption that we'll continue to have a capitalist economy.