Social media platforms are not just digital spaces; they are the agora of our time. They serve as arenas where individuals share their thoughts, hopes, and dreams—where democracy, in its most unfiltered form, takes place. BlueSky has the potential to redefine how such platforms operate.
However, to truly achieve this vision and protect the integrity of its community, BlueSky should adopt a profoundly democratic ownership model: it should be owned by its users. This approach ensures not only the safeguarding of individual agency but also the protection of our collective intellectual and emotional life from oligarchic control.
The Failures of Oligarchic Social Media
The transformation of Twitter into X under the stewardship of a single oligarch is a cautionary tale of what happens when a public square becomes privatized by concentrated wealth. Twitter was once a vital platform for global discourse, empowering marginalized voices and enabling movements like the Arab Spring and #MeToo. But its acquisition by Musk exposed the inherent fragility of centralized control. Decisions were made based not on collective interest but on the whims and ideologies of one individual, leading to chaos, extremism, and as we will soon see, the end of that platform. Good riddance!
Oligarchic control turns social media into a tool of exploitation rather than empowerment. Platforms that prioritize profit over people monetize not just user data but the very fabric of human thought. They manipulate algorithms to maximize engagement, frequently promoting divisive content to fuel outrage and increase ad revenue. This commodification of human attention is a violation of our cognitive sovereignty, reducing us to mere data points in a profit-driven machine.
The Neuroscience of Thought Protection
From a neuroscientific perspective, social media directly engages our brain’s reward and attention systems, shaping how we think, feel, and interact. These platforms influence our neural pathways, often hijacking our capacity for critical thinking and emotional regulation. When a single entity controls the algorithms dictating what we see and engage with, it effectively exerts undue influence over our cognition, creating echo chambers and reinforcing biases.
Protecting our thoughts, hopes, and dreams in the digital age requires more than ethical AI or content moderation policies; it demands structural reform. User ownership provides a solution by decentralizing control and ensuring that the platform serves the cognitive and emotional well-being of its participants rather than exploiting them for profit. In this way, BlueSky could become a digital sanctuary where users retain agency over their minds and their narratives.
Capitalism and the Democratization of Ownership
Capitalism, at its best, rewards innovation and creates value. But unchecked, it concentrates wealth and power in ways that undermine democratic principles. Social media, as a product of late-stage capitalism, has become a textbook example of this imbalance. The people who create value—users generating content, connections, and conversations—receive no share of the platform’s success, while profits are funneled to executives and shareholders. As an executive and shareholder in multiple companies, I’m a huge fan of success and profit, but as a member of a democratic nation (for now) I’m a bigger fan of “digital commons,” spaces where we can come together to co-create a better world.
BlueSky has an opportunity to embrace a more equitable capitalist model: cooperative ownership. By granting users stakes in the platform, BlueSky can align its incentives with those of its community. Such a structure would democratize decision-making, enabling users to vote on policies, algorithms, and monetization strategies. This model is not anti-capitalist but rather a reimagining of capitalism that prioritizes shared prosperity and accountability.
The Democratic Imperative
Democracy thrives on the free exchange of ideas, yet oligarchic social media undermines this principle by privileging certain voices over others. When content visibility is determined by algorithms designed to maximize engagement at any cost, the result is a distortion of public discourse. Polarization deepens, misinformation proliferates, and the marketplace of ideas becomes a battlefield of manipulation.
A user-owned BlueSky would embody democratic ideals by ensuring that no single entity or elite group holds disproportionate power over the platform. Decisions would be made collectively, fostering a culture of inclusivity and accountability. This model could serve as a bulwark against authoritarian tendencies, protecting the digital public square from the encroachments of concentrated power.
Protecting Our Collective Consciousness
Social media is not merely a tool; it is an extension of human consciousness. It amplifies our voices, shapes our perceptions, and connects us across distances. But as it stands, this extension of our minds is vulnerable to exploitation by entities with interests misaligned with our own. The oligarchic takeover of Twitter serves as a stark reminder of how easily our collective consciousness can be manipulated for profit or ideological gain.
BlueSky can be different. By adopting a user-ownership model, it can prioritize the protection of individual and collective thought. It can create a space where people feel safe to express their hopes and dreams without fear of surveillance, exploitation, or manipulation. Such a platform would not only preserve the integrity of our digital interactions but also serve as a testament to the power of shared ownership in fostering trust and collaboration.
The future of social media is at a crossroads. We can continue down the path of oligarchic control, where platforms serve as tools of profit and division, or we can chart a new course toward democratic, user-owned models that prioritize the well-being of individuals and society. BlueSky has the opportunity to lead this revolution.
By placing ownership in the hands of its users, BlueSky would honor the principles of democracy, protect the sovereignty of human thought, and ensure that the digital public square remains a space for authentic connection and growth. It is not merely a business model; it is a moral imperative, lest BlueSky suffers the same fate as Twitter.
