The grand idealism of the free and open internet might be over for now, but in its place falls a more practical mindset. Just like Silicon Valley’s entrepreneurs are entering their “Hard Tech” era, the people building web alternatives are also entering their Post-Naive Era. Here are the names to know.
Half of the examples on this page seem dystopic as fuck; Active attempts to capture and monetize even offline friendships and socialization. The other half seem to be getting you to pay up-front for hollow promises of a social media platform that Doesn’t Suck™.
One of their examples gives people kickbacks if they convince their friends to buy a product from them or help the product go viral. If they get their way, you will not be able to trust whether your friends recommend stuff to you because they think you’ll like it or because they’re getting paid for it.
I think capitalism has noticed that “Social Media Refugees” are a hot new market to capitalize on. Mozilla is clearly in the process of being assimilated, and the tendrils of capital are winding their way through the rest of the “better alternative” network.