For the Fediverse to succeed, it needs to not just match the features of centralized platforms, but to best them.
Two leading disinformation researchers recently wrote in Wired that "Facebook Groups are Destroying America." And I'm wonder others' thoughts on if and how the Fediverse can offer a superior answer to this problem.
https://www.wired.com/story/facebook-groups-are-destroying-america/
Here are my thoughts.
The article's authors write that algorithmically suggested groups "lead users further into conspiracy land." FB will not change this because profits stem from engagement, and engagement arises from fear and rage. The ad-based business model seeks this exact outcome.
The Fediverse is not built on a model aimed to maximize engagement, and as such is more shielded from the incentive to build algorithms that maximize engagement even if it means going to conspiracy-land.
