Ideological divides and political battles have pushed the internet to the brink of a social media split. What's commonly used by almost everyone, like Facebook and YouTube, may soon have to share its space, as other networks carve out their own place on the web to please users with different viewpoints.
It's not that Facebook and the social networks we already know will cease to exist, but new powers are starting to emerge, and because of that, we should start paying attention to them. For the first time in years, alternatives are popping up and people are starting to respond to that. This decentralization stems mainly from the 2016 US elections. And this could also be reflected in the 2018 Brazilian elections.
The most valuable resource of social networks is the content produced by users. To grab users' attention, these new networks distribute their content by interest. People who once threatened to abandon social media have started taking action, migrating to new platforms where they can express their opinions without repression or choose to only follow those who agree with their views on their feed. This is how niche networks came to be.
Mastodon, for instance, describes itself as thousands of interconnected communities available for you to choose from. Being an open and free-code platform, it gives you the tools to create your own community. This network doesn't depend on any government body to establish control or carry out any kind of censorship. When choosing your server, you can select your preferences, as well as the content you do or don't want to see.
Another example is Gab. With the slogan "freedom of speech for everyone," the idea is simple: total and absolute freedom to say whatever you want. It was adopted in the US by a racist, xenophobic, far-right group (with restrictions on content such as threats of violence, terrorism, and sharing others' personal information without consent, for example). In Brazil, there are also Gab users, mostly people who have already been censored or criticized on more "traditional" social networks.
Anticipating this fragmentation, Facebook made a point of encouraging the creation and participation in groups. But, in the end, even in these groups, posts are still subject to the rules of a bigger empire.
The advantage of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and others is that all your friends are already there, which naturally influences your participation. That's on top of, of course, the money these networks have invested to perform better and all the free content you can get from them.
There are major forces driving us toward fragmentation. They are, more and more, conquering new independent territory. Times have changed. And maybe, tomorrow, there will be a whole new ecosystem of networks, completely divided, with no headquarters in Silicon Valley and no executives to summon for testimony.
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http://coisasdogeek.com.br/doc/2017/09/11/introducao-a-rede-social-mastodon/
