Luckily, decentralized social media is on the rise. Lemmy, while still comparatively small, has a fairly active user base; and while Mastodon has not (and likely will not) ever be mainstream, even Bluesky is technically decentralized as well (I think).

The paradox of modern social media. Twitter was only good because it was packed with normies, which gave a sense of being part of global conversations that included more than just your subset of weirdos. Bluesky is only becoming good because the normies are finally moving over. However, like Twitter, Bluesky is currently a centralized platform. The simplicitly of centralization is why the normies are there. It’s also the reason why Bluesky is doomed to eventually end up like Twitter, unless Jay Graber and the other shareholders magically decide that the initial growth phase is enough and they don’t need to grow anymore. But this is capitalism, and we all know how this ends up. Jack Dorsey may have had lofty goals for Bluesky, but he doesn’t even work there anymore. The neverending demand for growth will push Bluesky to end up exactly like Twitter, perhaps even ending in another purchase by a billionaire fascist. It is inevitable.

At least Beehaw is cool and nonprofit.