Winning social networks

Written Jul 8, 2023, tagged under post,social network,fediverse,mastodon

I remember a conversation I had many years ago with my brother, discussing jobs and places to live. He was of the opinion that it was best to live in a big city like London, as there are hundreds of different jobs and directions to choose from. My view was that having a massive range available is great, but I can only actually do one job, and that there are other factors that weigh more with me for choosing where to live. We don't all have the same objectives; and the same is true with social networks.

Some people are looking for maximum exposure and reach from a social network, so it's important for them to be on a network with a huge potential audience. Others are looking to make money through their online activities and so require monetisation options, advertising and so on. My nature has always tended to be in the other direction, though - being happier in a slightly quieter environment, where you can have a nice chat with friendly people. I'm talking about the social network equivalent of a friendly local coffee shop on the high street, where you bump into friends and neighbours. This is in contrast with the big, established or emerging networks which are more like heading to a football stadium, with shouting, banter and perhaps a small threat of violence at any minute.

I've been thinking this morning how much I've been enjoying my little corner of the fediverse. There's been a great mix of cat photos, jokes, serious chat on various issues, and tech stuff too. It's at a level that I find very comfortable, without getting overwhelmed either by sheer numbers or an algorithm that's trying to get me to engage more.

It turns out that's what is true in life also applies to social networks: it isn't "one size fits all", and there is room for many different approaches to coexist. We all choose our own path, and if it works - great. We don't need there to be a single "winner". I'm sure some people will be very happy on the big networks like Instagram, Threads, Bluesky etc - that's good. I'm very happy on the fediverse, and don't feel particularly inclined to throw the net any wider at this point.

Photo by Alina Grubnyak on Unsplash