Some cuckoos are just assassins.
A bird called the common cuckoo uses a sneaky strategy to raise its babies. First, a female cuckoo finds a nest built by a bird of a different species. For example, it might be a great reed warbler. Then, she sneaks into the warblers’ nest, lays an egg and flies away. The warblers often accept the new egg. Indeed, they take care of it along with their own eggs. The cuckoo chick hatches before the warbler chicks. And it wants all the food from the warbler parents for itself. So the young cuckoo pushes the warbler eggs onto its back, one by one. It braces its feet on the sides of the nest and rolls each egg over the edge. Smash! [1]
Threads will destroy Fediverse if they succeed.
Threads is more than just a clone of Twitter. It combines a Twitter clone, an Instagram plugin, and a Fediverse client. The last portion is problematic. Why? Let’s talk about it.
Why ?
The first issue is that most internet users are unaware of the Fediverse and the apps that use it. Threads will introduce them to the Fediverse, but there will be one benefit for every ten harms.
First and foremost, Fediverse is distributed. It’s not just one app. The vast majority of Fediverse apps, I’d say over 90% of them, are open source. This is huge. The majority of current apps do not track their users or serve them advertisements. There may be Fediverse apps and platforms with close source codes and advertisements. However, knowledgeable users who fully understand the Fediverse idea will reject such products and continue to use open-source applications. In today’s Fediverse, users dictate the apps they use to connect Fediverse protocol, and developers who embrace open-source and privacy philosophy thrive while others fade away. It appears that Zuck isn’t particularly enthusiastic about this situation. He couldn’t resist the urge and decided to stick his oar in.
One app, one protocol, and one sound.
Threads are anticipating a smooth transition for Fediverse because it primarily targets Instagram users. Many Instagram users are unaware of the fediverse. They’ll find out about it sooner or later. Some of them will become acquainted with Mastodon through its users. PixelDroid, PeerTube, and other services will be discovered by some Instagram users as well.
However, the situation may be different if Threads succeed. Threads will attract users who are unfamiliar with the fediverse and instill in them the belief that this is the fediverse and that their application is the sole method to access it. This is the problem. Easy to see, hard to hide.
Consider this scenario. Fediverse has one billion users, yet 90% of them access it through Threads. Is Fediverse now a separate entity or just Threads? Is there any hope now? Simply put, Facebook is trying to eat the Fediverse. Slowly but effectively. If they succeed, they may be able to fully modify the protocol because the majority of the users will be in their sandbox.
Threads is an attempt to bring the Fediverse to its knees!
Is there any solution?
Don’t use it. This is what an ordinary person can do. We can’t do much right now. But we may choose what is valuable to keep and what is not. Informing people is another effective strategy to resist what is coming.
The hype may fade away, but quality remains paramount. The current situation is just smoke and mirrors.
What will I do as an individual?
I’ve been using Twitter in read-only mode since 2015 and posting some updates on it for the past two years. I just post some updates on my life and mainly my work. So nothing significant. I’m at ease on Twitter and will continue to use it. Mastodon, Nostr, and other similar alternative platforms are amazing. I like them. However, I believe that Twitter is enough for me at the moment.