Watching all these open source, federated versions of social media platforms is like if you found out your favourite drug was actually manufactured by some really bad people and made people around the world suffer. So you make an open source version of the drug. Similar formula, just this time the people can own it.
Sure you cut out the bad people, but is the situation improved now?
There are projects where long term addicts are given pure medical heroin (Diamorphin) in a controlled environment, and they do considerably better than their control group who does not receive their drugs like that.
Their drug is rage, thirst and cute trap videos generated by AI and selected for maximum engagement.
If it's not harmful it's not the same drug. Unlike diamorphine, a medical grade supply does not reduce harm; it's more like sniffing glue, inhaling poison to escape reality.
The harm from social media is at least in part caused by the feed suggestion algorithm being optimized for screen time (aka addiction). Potentially open social media where the suggestion algorithm is not that could be a big improvement.
Long overdue in fact. But then perhaps heroin wouldn’t be illegal if it was big pharma was producing it in large quantities. It just got barred early enough. Besides why we always forget how addictive and damaging is the well available alcohol?
Alcohol has fucked up more lives than any other drug in my sphere. People who have had their life fucked by drugs has mostly been because of inhumane government intervention.
Yeah the legal thing used by people many magnitudes more than hard illegal drugs had an effect on more people than something used by a relatively small minority will impact more people you know.
How many heroin users do you know who manage to only have 1-2 hits a week socially though and hold down a career.
The most apparent addictions that ruin precious lives everywhere around us, in every country, are freely available because "eyes wide open" and most of the times - intentional misinformation (you can think of it also as tradition).
Add to these tobacco if you want. Nicotine on its won as a standalone agent is perhaps no more damaging than caffeine, but is used in a form-factor that really grills one's lungs.
for example - Russian influenced Balkan areas all take drinking of vodka as something super normal.
Heroin was produced in huge quantities and it was a very popular drug for many ailments, including cough, asthma, insomnia and calming down children. It declined only after the 1912 International Opium Convention. In Finland it was a popular cough suppressant until the 1950s. In e.g. UK it's still used for severe pain.
Heroin (diamorphine) as a molecule isn't really substantially more problematic than e.g. oxycodone or fentanyl, which are in widespread medical use. The specific ban of heroin is more a historical contingency.
That would be great, also I'd like to make advertising in public spaces with LED billboards illegal. But once politicians start using the form of media to get votes it's basically game over.
Sure you cut out the bad people, but is the situation improved now?