Twitter Had a Plan to Fix Social Media. Will Elon Musk Follow It?

Musk is concerned about whether he can align his affection for decentralization with the need to turn a profit. It would be a disaster for advertising revenue if he were to give up control of the mechanism that keeps people on the platform.

Bluesky technology could be used to help Musk realize his goal of turning Twitter into a super-app that blends social media with payments and other utilities. Bluesky could help support the payments aspect of the vision because the AT Protocol is able tointegrate with Cryptocurrencies. This is all about the hypothetical.

Bluesky isn't the only one who thinks that society would benefit from a more centralized social media system with less power in the hands of a cash-motivated minority.

Evan Henshaw-Plath, the first employee of Odeo, runs a peer-to-Peer social network called Planetary that shares a lot of common ground with Bluesky.

Regardless of whether Bluesky ends up playing a starring role, Henshaw-Plath predicts that there will be a lot of experimentation with Web3 andcryptocurrencies. He says that it is where most of the big changes will be.

Henshaw-Plath thinks the acquisition will increase the chances of Bluesky securing additional funding since the company is no longer constrained by Wall Street.

Henshaw-Plath says that once the AT Protocol is up and running, the aim is to enable a level of interaction between Planetary and Bluesky networks.

Stani Kulechov is the creator of Lens Protocol, a similar project that relies on users self-hosting their profiles to create decentralization. This approach allows people to own their social capital in terms of both their content and audience, and ensures social profiles are always in your custody and control.

There are short-term dangers that need to be taken into account, according to the creator of the Internet Archive. It would be a good thing if decentralization brought more control to the people who live in the area. Musk is concerned that a lack of clarity over the mechanics of moderation under this new model could lead to a free-for-all hellscape. In the short term, decentralization could mean that there is no moderation or control of the content on the internet.

Getting the technology right is important, but there are warning signs of simplistic, absolutist thinking among those trying to innovate in the social media space.

It is up to Musk to carry forward the vision for a more equitable, more private, less hostile social media experience. Bluesky will have to fly the nest if he doesn't decide to.