💾 Archived View for adamthiede.com › log › 2023-07-03.gmi captured on 2023-11-04 at 11:22:39. Gemini links have been rewritten to link to archived content
⬅️ Previous capture (2023-07-10)
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Some coworkers and I discussed the reddit blackout and the dangers of reliance on large platforms run by for profit corporations. One brought up wikipedia and its seemingly crowd funded or non-profit nature, and how that platform, despite being centralized, has not turned bad yet. I agree wikipedia is proably better than most centralized platforms that rely on user generated material for the value of the site but that probably comes down to leadership, not a funding model.
My position is that I'd rather have several dozen (federated or not, doesn't matter) instances of microcosms of something like reddit. Some smaller forum. Usually, being smaller, they are more economical to host for the host, and the host is an actual enthusiast in the field, which make for a better community, I think. Smaller topic specific forums (yes, each requiring its own account system, boo hoo, use a password manager) intentionally create gates against the pollution of the wider topic-neutral refuse (memes, shitposting, twitter screenshots) that makes up 75% of reddit.
From the security aspect, a small forum might have one or two admins that can read your DMs, whereas a larger site like reddit might have dozens. Being a for profit company they might have rules against it, but no one determined enough will care. The odds of a breach of privacy or security are larger on a larger target. Nobody cares about the micro forum for North Dakota Gardening that you and 149 other people use. Plus, I trust hobbyists to run a tighter ship and be able to clamp down and make thing secure far faster than a company, given that the small admin's infrastructure fees usually come out of his pocket and lives on his personal equipment.
So no, I don't believe for a single gosh darn second that there is an argument for using large, centralized platforms. Some might say "moderation" but intentional moderation does not really have to be done on smaller communities. It is far easier just to let things organically work themselves out.
Smaller individual communities, where everyone is known, with clear ownership and power structures, will win every time against the monolithic melting pot of the commons. There is just too much junk in that vortex for it to be useful.