[xupybd]

So you are saying that Mark Zuckerberg is a dictator and no one has the freedom to leave his rule?

This is so different, if you don't like Facebook use a competitors service. If a good one doesn't exist that lines up with your moral aspirations create one. But under Saddam and Gaddafi, you don't like them, keep quiet or you might disappear, if the wrong person over hears you.

[jessaustin]

...use a competitors service.

I've decided that since I don't actually enjoy being punched in the face, I'm going to avoid face-punching services altogether.

[nix0n]

> if you don't like Facebook use a competitors service. If a good one doesn't exist that lines up with your moral aspirations, create one

Is anyone working on this?

[linkregister]

The product manager for Google Plus just punched a hole in his hat.

On a serious note, there were platforms that used to dominate discourse on the internet before Facebook. Usenet, ICQ, AOL, Myspace.

Now there are alternatives. Medium for blogging; Reddit and 4chan for discussion; Twitter for sharing breaking news, trolling celebrities, and complaining about customer service; LinkedIn for connections and keeping in touch; Pinterest for sharing photos and links; Snapchat for sharing photos and videos; et cetera. I have a few friends, particularly in the 25-and-below generation, who don't have a Facebook but are very active on Snapchat or when it was trendy, Vine.

Don't forget countries where Facebook is a minority player. Weibo, Renren, WeChat, VKontakte are examples of thriving social networks that could possibly grow beyond their borders.

[Torgo]

social networks are a natural monopoly, you want everybody to be on the same one. So if you want to avoid the centralized authority problem, you need to define it as a network of many nodes communicating via open protocols. Sort of like email. This is how Diaspora and GNU Social work.

[ninju]

https://joindiaspora.com/

[Torgo]

They exist. But they need love.

[5ilv3r]

Diaspora is nice.