It’s the eternal cycle:
- Small platform has quality experience because most users are genuine and engaged, and user base is too small to be “worth it” for corporations and trolls
- Platform grows slowly until it reaches tipping point of popularity and network effect
- The platform has explosive growth, drawing interest of corporations and trolls
- Corporations enshittify while trolls crank out misinformation and rage bait
- Users reach tipping point and leave large platform to smaller platforms that don’t have corporate interests and trolls
- Repeat due to network effect
For a lot of Twitter users, this is their first collapse and migration. Usually these events make people more mobile in the future.
I wonder if and when they’ll start moving on from Bluesky? What event will trigger it next time? How much the experience will have to fall apart before they pack up and move? My money is on ‘way less than last time’.
I hope you’re right, but I feel like you’re putting too much faith in the average person.
I mean, it’s still going to be years. But maybe when it happens, it won’t be so damn sticky next time.
Has been happening for three decades: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal_September