For anyone wondering if Threads and Facebook at large will be a fine neighbor in the space and compatible with other apps/services in the fediverse: they’re already automatically hiding comments that mention Pixelfed https://mastodon.social/@dansup/112126250737482807
“We can’t federate” is not really an option… Sure, every instance can add threads to the blocked list. But to keep big corporations out of ‘our public square’ ActivityPub would have to be twisted into a grotesque version of itself.
What makes you say that? Why is defederation not good enough?
Small businesses can individually refuse to do business with the big shopping mall -> add threads to the block list (‘defederate’ them)
The big shopping mall is not allowed to put their building at the public square -> threads is not allowed to use ActivityPub
The first statement is totally ok and a lot of instances do this. However, similar like shopping malls it can pose a challenge for small businesses to stay competitive, while categorically refusing business with the big actor. The second statement would require the towns construction committee to not give the shopping mall a license to build. However, this construction committee is a centralised power and not in the design of ActivityPub.
I do not like threads and see them as a potential threat to what we have here. Exactly because it could become harder to stay competitive while refusing them. But i don’t see much that we can actively do.
Thanks, that added some good context to your position. I think it’s a legitimate worry but I think we have a chance, unlike the shopping mall scenario.