Let's hear it for the #fediverse. Given Westenberg's article (referenced below) and the fact that social media platforms tend to become 'echo chambers', the only way out of 'enshitification' is embodied in the fediverse. An instance makes up and enforces its own rules of conduct, so if you don't fit in (because you're a fascist or some other anti-social maniac) you get banned and move to an instance that supports your views (at the risk of being ostracised by the rest of the fediverse). Simple, fixed. done.

"Meta is officially the global arbiter of ‘truth' — yes, you should be afraid — Joan Westenberg (The Sydney Morning Herald): What makes these platforms so powerful is their ability to cultivate open expression and tear down barriers. It's a noble idea, and worth defending. But for every heartwarming story of long-lost school friends reunited or grassroots movements gaining traction, there is a Cambridge Analytica scandal, or disinformation spreading like wildfire. And Meta has now, in effect, become a gatekeeper of global discourse, a role it is neither suited to, nor was elected to fulfil.

The ban on RT and Rossiya Segodnya won't be the last word when it comes to online disinformation. The challenge now is in maintaining the openness of the internet, while curbing harmful content and propaganda.

Defending Russia's propaganda as free speech is shortsighted nonsense. But Meta's ban raises pertinent questions about where and how we draw the line for online expression, the role of governments in policing the digital realm, and the responsibility platforms have in combating and responding to disinformation in an era when truth seems increasingly elusive." (Source: Crickey News)

#fediverse