The way social media works now is frustrating. Friends and family post on a platform, but to view the post you need to be a member of that platform. When a person decides to use a certain social media platform, people associated with them need to make the same decision. If you decide to use Facebook to post, then I must also use Facebook if I want to view your post.
And I guess I understand that to a certain degree. Social media platforms don’t charge any money, but they need to keep the service running. So, ads end up paying the bills. And ads are more effective when you have a profile on a user. Incentivizing people to sign up for the service is not only in their best interest, it’s necessary to keep the platform alive so people can use it in the first place.
I guess my issue comes from the fact that I don’t want to use those platforms. I’ve been off Facebook and Twitter for years, but I’m still stuck on Instagram. I want out of that, too. But how would I view my friends’ posts? I also have family and friends on Facebook. I want to view their posts, but how do I go about that while not creating a Facebook account?
The whole IndieWeb movement is fascinating, but the technological hurdle seems massive. How do I convince my mother to hop on board? I’ll be a part of it as long as it keeps my interest, but a decentralized social media network seems like a long shot … at least for now.