BLOG POST: Can Big Social take over the Fediverse?
Some people fear that Big Social will try to swoop in and “steal” the Fediverse.
@atomicpoet I don't think it's going to be Big Social. I think it's going to be the Big Tech platform companies: Google and Microsoft. E.g. the people who provide free email hosting. Both of them failed at social, but the Fediverse presents a 2nd chance on a platter.
They won't be able to seize control of the Fediverse, but they will be able to own the onramps and experiences of most users. Finding the right onramp and avoiding instance admin politics are probably the 2 biggest pain points to adoption right now!
It will be increasingly niche to self-host or use small independent instances. A power-user thing. Especially if the growth of the Fediverse (accelerated by Big Tech) increases the costs of hosting.
@acjay @atomicpoet Yes! I thought the same thing. Seeing all the talk about disliked features, difficulties and confusion with #Mastodon from those who’ve already joined let alone those who don’t make it through the signup process or find it all off putting and never try … I realised this is all fuel for an “embrace, extend, extinguish” pitch from a big corp. Take away the “nerd pedantry” and “annoyances” and provide a nice client app, and the #Fediverse or #Mastodon becomes “MS Pteradon”
@acjay This is not a small thing, and I think about it every day.