I have the feeling that social media adoption can be very volatile - that makes me hope that something decentralized and healthier could take over soon.
Regarding Bluesky-based Flashes, there is an ongoing GoFundMe campaign, but it's been there for 7 months and hasn't reached its 40k goal. Regardless of the funding goal, aren't there enough people interested in this to make it happen?
I think that's indeed one of the main problems, although I think people don't care because they don't understand what are the risks that directly concern them. A valid question would be at what point (if ever, and I want to believe that is going to happen, sooner or later) is the average user going to perceive the problems associated with centralized, censoring, opinion-steering platforms?
I very much agree. I think that one of the fundamental things that would make it easier for a healthier way forward would be the ability to more easily move from one platform to the other, hence reducing inertia-induced monopoly. Bluesky's At Protocol baked in interoperability seems like a step forward.
It’s worrying how much control platforms like Meta have over what people see. Their moderation and ranking systems often act as invisible filters—shadowbanning, or quietly removing reach without transparency.
This kind of centralization makes open discourse fragile. It’s why I think distributed and independent ways of sharing information are becoming essential—so no single company decides which voices are amplified or buried.