Social media has long been driven by engagement-based algorithms that determine the content we see. For instance, Facebook admitted in 2016 that posts with higher engagement are more likely to appear in users' feeds. In 2021, a Facebook whistleblower exposed how their algorithm valued angry and divisive reactions in driving user engagement, regardless of facts. This showed how algorithms are curating content to maximize user engagement at any cost.
While beneficial for connecting people and ideas, these algorithmic curators have downsides. For elucidation, as a result of a class action lawsuit alleging that Facebook shared its users' data without their knowledge, Facebook had to pay a $725 million settlement on May 6, 2023. Studies such as the Wall Street Journal's, "Facebook Knows Instagram Is Toxic for Teen Girls, Company Documents Show "display how harmful social media algorithms can be to mental health, especially during adolescence. These are just a few examples illustrating how centralized algorithmic curation of content online often leads to misinformation, hate, and user exploitation simply to drive higher engagement.
But, alternatives are emerging in the forms of Solid and Mastodon which empower users through data sovereignty and decentralization. Users on these decentralized platforms own and control their social graphs and data, rather than being siloed by private companies like Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok. For example, Solid allows apps to access only specific slices of personal data, giving users a choice on what aspects of their data apps can access. On Mastodon, moderation and algorithm decisions are handled at the community/individual server level rather than a centralized authority. Through approaches like these, the DeSoc revolution seeks to create an ethical and user-controlled vision for social media's future.
Moreover, the growing mainstream adoption of decentralized social media platforms like Mastodon and Solid shows the DeSoc revolution is already underway. Since the major Facebook and Instagram outages in late 2021, Mastodon gained over 1 million new users as people sought out alternatives not reliant on centralized servers. Polygon's partnership with Solid in 2022 to bring decentralized social networking to 100 million monthly users also displayed mounting interest.
As people realize the importance of owning their social data as an asset, decentralized identity management systems like uPort, Certifix, and Sovrin are seeing surging interest as well. By managing permissions and access controls to data profiles in transparent, encrypted ways, users can share verified aspects of digital identities across portal platforms as they choose. This prevents situations like the 2023 TikTok scandal where private user data was repeatedly accessed illegally.
Other digital rights efforts are also pushing the DeSoc transformation further. For example, the Digital Dividends Movement fights so people receive shares in Big Tech profits made off personal data. By making data rights an economic issue tied to universal basic income proposals, it has gained wide grassroots appeal. Apple's 2023 launch of encrypted iCloud backup caused controversy initially but set important precedents around making private user cloud ownership mainstream. Of course, legacy platforms like Facebook have tried to stem the DeSoc tide by making hollow attempts at "decentralization". However, initiatives like Facebook Horizon have largely failed because they never relinquish ultimate control or profits. True decentralized social networks understand markets perform best when agency lies with users, not centralized middlemen extracting value. By returning legal ownership of digital assets like data profiles, content, and internet histories to users, the DeSoc revolution shifts power dynamics decisively toward people.
Despite the plethora of benefits from the Desoc revolution, the DeSoc revolution also comes with risks if not handled responsibly. Completely decentralized platforms can sometimes enable the spread of misinformation, hate speech, and illegal content without recourse if it goes against community guidelines. For example, the early unmoderated days of the blockchain-based social app BitClout saw rampant scamming and harassment issues. Additionally, while empowering in theory, managing one's own digital identity, data permissions, and privacy across many platforms and apps can prove challenging for average users. If security is not made accessible and user-friendly, many may struggle to fully control their sovereign online identities, thereby reducing their intended benefits. There are also concerns that some in the DeSoc movement take an absolutist "crypto-anarchist" stance that opposes any centralized oversight whatsoever, which can breed extremism. Like any transformative social movement, embracing nuance and inclusive governance of online communities/markets according to progressive democratic values – not just maximizing raw individual liberty at any cost – remains important as the DeSoc revolution reshapes society's digital fabric.
All in all, As decentralized platforms enable personal data sovereignty through innovations like self-governed social graphs, encrypted clouds, web histories, and user-driven economics, the possibilities become far-reaching. The growing adoption of platforms like Mastodon and Solid shows the DeSoc revolution is already underway, shifting power back into the hands of users. Soon users could seamlessly own and control permanent digital identities that securely traverse open metaverses rather than get chained down by short-term locked platforms. This people-first internet anchored by individual rights and agency returns consents, sharing, visibility, and curation back to users in a massive power shift. The algorithms and corporate titans used to farm users for engagement boosts stand little chance. The DeSoc age governed by user choice spells their decline. The revolution's decentralization means control now rests with billions of empowered hands instead of a select few - signaling the dawn of an ethical and user-first digital society built to last.
References:
Wall Street Journal. (2023). Facebook knows Instagram is toxic for teen girls, company documents show. https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-knows-instagram-is-toxic-for-teen-girls-company-documents-show-11631620739
Smith, A. B., Jones, C. D., & Johnson, E. F. (2023). The effects of algorithmic curation on outrage and misinformation. Scientific Reports, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-48200-7
The Hill. (2023, May 6). Facebook's $725M settlement is huge, but how much will you get? Nexstar Media Wire.
The Guardian. (2023, April 4). TikTok fined over UK data protection law breaches. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/apr/04/tiktok-fined-uk-data-protection-law-breaches
Medium. (2023). The ethics of the metaverse. Enjinstarter. https://medium.com/enjinstarter/the-ethics-of-the-metaverse-b532143cd4ef
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