this post was submitted on 21 Jan 2025
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Decentralized Social Media Is the Only Alternative to the Tech Oligarchy (www.404media.co)
submitted 5 months ago by FundMECFSResearch@lemmy.blahaj.zone to c/technology@lemmy.world
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[–] kava@lemmy.world 18 points 5 months ago (3 children)

I have a feeling this place and other decentralized social medias will be banned in the near future. Look at what's happening to TIktok. You either bend the knee or you get axed. It's why the other social media giants bent the knee. They understand the writing on the wall. There's more going on behind the scenes that they don't share with us. I think we're sort of watching a quiet coup.

[–] Mpdaves@lemmy.world 10 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Isn’t decentralization a thing that makes that much harder? There isn’t the same “national security” concern. I’m not saying it won’t happen just that the mechanism is much more difficult to make work.

[–] curious_dolphin@slrpnk.net 2 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

You're mixing multiple subjects here, one being the logistics of blocking a federated system like Lemmy, the other being whether the wrong person finds the content of such a system objectionable and labels it a "national security issue."

I'm being a tad pedantic here, but my reason for pointing this out is that I think #2 is not far fetched at all, but I'm unsure of how feasible #1 might be and would love if somebody who knows more than I do would chime in.

EDIT: Looks like some have already discussed #2 in the other comment thread started by Teknikal.

[–] shrugs@lemmy.world 2 points 5 months ago

There is a big difference. If a platform belongs to a single entity, you can pressure that entity especially if its profit driven. If there are thousands interconnected platforms that only share an open protocol the most you can do is shutdown a single instance. That's why an open protocol creating decentralized instances is so much different than a centralized platform. It's like trying to ban email or censor speak: not that has never been tried, but that is a whole different cup of tea.

[–] cheers_queers@lemm.ee 6 points 5 months ago (1 children)

then we will all get on WordPress or something and go back to rss feeds. they can't ban everything, the Internet is too big. people will find a way

[–] kava@lemmy.world 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

they can’t ban everything, the Internet is too big. people will find a way

they don't really have to ban everything. for example, the persistent chinese internet-goer has the ability to view things he's not supposed to see even though China bans large swathes of the internet.

but by making it as difficult as possible for most people and creating strict punishments for breaking the rules, you can effectively ban most things you want for majority of people

if posting on lemmy makes you an enemy of the state and the state is becoming increasingly harsh with its punishments... would you still be going on and posting regularly? i would certainly think twice.

[–] can@sh.itjust.works 3 points 5 months ago (2 children)

if posting on lemmy makes you an enemy of the state and the state is becoming increasingly harsh with its punishments... would you still be going on and posting regularly? i would certainly think twice.

Where else would we go? Perhaps it's my non-American privilege but I think in a time like that I couldn't be silent.

[–] cheers_queers@lemm.ee 3 points 5 months ago

that's kinda where i am. I'm in the mindset to be as gay as possible and as loud as possible about my dissent on what's happening here.

me and my partner are both also trans. our lives are probably worthless anyway, why would i cower now?? I've worked too hard to become my own person to let the fuckin GOVERNMENT take it away from me. they can strip my rights and even kill me, but they can't make me not be queer.

[–] kava@lemmy.world 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I think in a time like that I couldn’t be silent.

Honestly, nobody really knows until they are in such a position. I'd like to think I'd be noble and rebel but honestly I think I'd just try and stay quiet and under the radar. The older I've gotten, the more cynical I've become about positive change.

I'm more worried with making sure me and my family are in a good position. And if I start posting dissent online and end up in a gulag or just get dissapeared for it.. it's not quite conducive to that goal.

[–] can@sh.itjust.works 2 points 5 months ago

Yeah, I thought about it more after commenting. I can't know for certain what I would do given a bad timeline. Maybe I'd just go offline, spread fliers, something.

[–] LNSS@lemmy.world 6 points 5 months ago (3 children)

I hope not. I just arrived!

[–] b_n@sh.itjust.works 4 points 5 months ago

Dont worry, lemmings worry about some shutdown every other week. Been here since the API closures, and its quite nice (if you block the news communities)

[–] can@sh.itjust.works 1 points 5 months ago

Welcome! Any questions so far?