BlueSky, Facebook, and the Need For Safe Spaces Online

Where are our safe spaces to talk on the internet?

Problems shared and discussed with others are powerful. Where can we have conversations and discussions that will stretch from the inconsequential sharing of memes right up to the most personal and private thoughts and explorations?

This can only happen in spaces which are trusted by everyone involved to protect the conversations, their participation, and their privacy. Yet the spaces are ruled by a few megacorporations. Their interests lie in the extraction of as much money as possible from the users, and standing shoulder-to-shoulder with selfish and narcissistic political leaders. 

So where can people needing a safe space go? With significant changes to its moderation of acceptable content, Meta, while already on a shoogly peg, has spectacularly ruled itself out this week, which applies to Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp

Returning to X (née Twitter) is clearly not an option.

TikTok has different issues, but considering the Chinese-owned hosting service as safe is not advisable. 

Many of the smaller sites are heading to Discord. Gaming communities especially love the service, and it’s home to many small communities—and I find it invaluable right now. Yet I look at Discord and see a single point of failure and another US-based VC-funded service that could be taken away, altered, or corrupted in short order.

Many thought that BlueSky would take up the challenge. Right now, it’s “Nice Twitter”, and the management team is certainly talking the talk of BlueSky being a forever home, safe from “evil billionaires” and offering a trusting environment. It’s relatively hands-off approach to moderation and the lack of a robust verification system have proven to be issues since its explosive growth in mid-November.

And sitting in the margins of BlueSky are the three funding rounds it has taken, an $8 million seeding in 2023 a Series A of $15 million led by Blockchain Capital in November, and a further round with Bain Capital Ventures—while there’s no indication on the amount being raised it is rumoured to value BlueSky at $700 million.

The VCs aren’t in it for the revolution, for the open protocols or the decentralisation. They’re in it for the money. BlueSky can point to “growth as value”, but at some point, that value needs to be cashed in. Which likely means “Nice Twitter” will not be as nice in the future. And we’re back to being beholden to a capricious landlord and our safe spaces will be sold.

The rapid centralisation of discussion, free speech, and safe spaces on the internet is going to be the dystopian story of 2025.

(Image: Black Bull, Wetherby, West Yorkshire, cc Wikimedia / Mtaylor848).