I believe it’s secure to say that almost all people on this planet are rising, how can I put this frivolously, weary of the present billionaire stewards of our social media ecosystem. X is a hateful mess. Meta is attempting to develop into a hateful mess. TikTok is probably going on its means out. Social media is simply not that enjoyable or helpful anymore.
Nevertheless, a cadre of celebrities and notable ex-Twitter customers try to “save social media from billionaire seize” by creating one thing known as FreeOurFeeds. These people wish to construct a brand new social media ecosystem, one that’s targeted on the general public good as a substitute of profit-driven incentives, as reported by User Mag.
So thrilled to be working with people like @audreyt, @doctorow, @shoshanazuboff, @Moonalice and @jimmy_wales on #FreeOurFeeds.
We’ve bought an opportunity right here: Bluesky’s open protocol is an unbelievable alternative to reimagine social media and take it again from fickle billionaires. https://t.co/QSjbg6MAIV— Eli Pariser | @elipariser@mastodon.social (@elipariser) January 13, 2025
Among the massive names behind this mission embrace actor Mark Ruffalo, actor/director Alex Winter and sci-fi author/journalist Cory Doctorow. Brian Eno is concerned, as is Jimmy Wales (the founding father of Wikipedia.) The plan includes constructing new social media apps on prime of the pre-existing AT Protocol, which is a decentralized framework that Bluesky runs on. This may ostensibly give customers vital management over their information, algorithms and the complete on-line expertise.
“The final twenty years have seen the world sleepwalk right into a scenario the place a handful of firms dictate our whole social media expertise. Now, for the primary time we have now a possibility to rewrite the principles. Bluesky’s underlying know-how, the AT protocol, might provide a brand new pathway for the social internet.” mentioned Sherif Elsayed-Ali, Govt Director of the Way forward for Expertise Institute.
There are a few main hurdles right here. Bluesky remains to be backed by enterprise capital, so the crew has to lift cash to make sure the underlying know-how is put “on an impartial pathway, in order that the way forward for social media may be free of the whims of anyone firm or group of billionaires.”
The inspiration additionally requires cash to start out constructing essential infrastructure. All advised, the group hopes to lift $30 million over the following three years. There’s a GoFundMe proper now, with the intent to lift an preliminary $4 million. Preliminary funds can be spent to launch a public curiosity basis that can try to make “Bluesky’s underlying tech absolutely immune to billionaire seize.”
Earlier than you dismiss this notion as a bunch of wealthy celebrities holding out a donation can, let’s do not forget that even the wealthiest movie star doesn’t maintain a deal with to the billionaires that management the levers of energy. Mark Ruffalo, seemingly essentially the most notable member of the group, is price round $30 million and Alex Winter is price $4 million.
Elon Musk is price $416 billion and Mark Zuckerberg’s price is creeping up on $220 billion. Musk is price, await it, round 14,000 instances greater than Ruffalo. The distinction between million and billion is fairly severe.
This text initially appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/celebs-and-tech-luminaries-including-mark-ruffalo-want-to-create-a-fully-open-social-media-ecosystem-174641161.html?src=rss