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> Could there be a similar case for bringing back a low-fi social media not ruined by algorithms, either MySpace or something like it? Everybody that keeps rei
by rchaud 2y ago
> Could there be a similar case for bringing back a low-fi social media not ruined by algorithms, either MySpace or something like it?
Everybody that keeps reinventing Facebook/Twitter (Post.news, BeReal, BlueSky, etc) does so with dollar signs in their eyes. There are FOSS options for messageboards and IM services but people gravitate to the least-friction options, which lead to spam and flame wars because there's no cost to do so.
- shiroiushi 2y agoThe problem with the FOSS options for these services is that they're a PITA to set up or use, and they usually cost money. It's not like using a FOSS alternative to Photoshop, where you just download Krita or Gimp and run it locally on your PC: with a service like Mastodon, it needs always-running servers, so you either have to have your own server on the internet (not really viable for most people), rent one from a colocation provider or other service ($$$), or pay a subscription fee to keep your instance on someone else's server ($). Now compare this to using Facebook, which is free. And since there's zero interoperability between different SNS services, you have to go where all your friends are.
- stephen_g 2y agoThere are more than enough public Mastodon instances that the vast majority of people will never have to even think about hosting their own instance...