New from me: X is A Power Problem, Not a Platform Problem
https://connectedplaces.online/reports/a-power-problem-not-a-platform-problem/
<img src="https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/865/794/113/866/224/original/c698a644638b67cc.png" alt="The implicit theory behind the open social web was that platform quality would determine outcomes. Build something that’s better, and in combination with the incumbent getting worse, this would lead to such difference in quality, user experience and safety that at some point people would switch from X to alternatives like Mastodon or Bluesky. This theory held up for a while in 2023 and 2024. In 2025 it started to falter, as Musk aligned himself with Trump, the signup waves to the alternative platforms effectively stopped. In early 2026, this theory is now really over, because X has fundamentally changed. Mastodon and Bluesky are not in competition anymore with the platform X, because X has changed. It changed from being a platform to the power structure for the neo-royalty, with the public square shambling along as a zombie, animated by everyone who still treats X like it’s 2015. <p>You cannot out-compete ‘where the ruling faction radicalizes and coordinates’ by having better moderation policies or algorithmic choice. X is not a platform problem anymore, it is a power problem, and building a different platform does not solve the power problem."/></p>