If the original sin of Web 1.0 was the pop-up ad, the original sin of web 2.0 was the move to algorithmic feeds. Opaque optimization strategies aimed at maximizing private revenue for the sake of what was otherwise externally billed as public goods became increasingly toxic, spawning discourse about echo chambers and filter bubbles.
Now at its zenith, what were once proof of concept Rails apps and PHP dorm room projects have leveraged "the feed" writ large as the catalyst of an unprecedented concentration of wealth in a new gilded age. The election this week only further underscores the need to move beyond the mode of content provisioning that dominated the last 20 years and try to figure out how we can create new channels of communication from the media strip mining operation that has laid waste to our ecosystem.
To me, federated social media feels like the right way out. A system that is inherently designed to resist the concentration of power that got us in this mess feels like the right next step towards a better internet landscape. To that end, the remarkable growth of Bluesky over the past few weeks feels like an inflection point. I have had an account since April 2023, but I didn't use it - after all, none of my friends were there. But some time, in the last while, the network effects, at least locally, finally kicked in. Just like that, I've totally transitioned, and I couldn't imagine going back. It feels like Old Twitter, in the best way possible.