Bluesky

To those currently caught up in the Bluesky euphoria, will you please snap the fuck out of it? Honestly, I hate being the wet blanket, but y’all are killing me with this. There is nothing new here, nothing that hasn’t happened before, and no reason whatsoever to think that it won’t end exactly the same way.

I hear Bluesky’s leaders articulating their vision, and I believe that they believe that they’re a force for good, but venture capitalists are the ones paying for all of this¹. These aren’t altruists, these people are expecting a significant return on their investment. If you aren’t paying for it, then you are the product. Best-case scenario, your engagement will be carefully cultivated and monetized for ads, worst-case an oligarch with deep pockets will purchase it and weaponize its influence. The elephant in the room here is Xitter, but is there really no one left that remembers LiveJournal? Both of these platforms started out much like Bluesky —guided by gifted people with the best of intentions— and just look at them now.

Now, what would make things different is federation. With federation, we could leave and take our communities with us; No one would be trapped by the personal (or professional) costs of leaving if things take a turn. Federation is on Bluesky’s roadmap, but it has been for a long time, which I find concerning. Maybe they’ve been too busy to get to it, or maybe those VCs would prefer a platform with lock-in. Either way, until/unless it’s federated, the only reasonable thing to do is assume the worst.