Blocking the competition

Photo by Erik Mclean: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-room-with-black-and-white-seats-8266814/

Pixelfed's creator Daniel Supernault recently published an open letter to Mark Zuckerberg. The reason being that links to Pixelfed are marked as Spam by Facebook/Meta and deleted immediately (404 Media on the topic).

My opinion? The open letter is written exactly in the way it needs to written. Read it for yourself:

Dear Mark,

I hope this finds you well. I noticed something interesting today – it seems Instagram is blocking links to my little open-source project. You know, the one that lets people share photos without harvesting their personal data or forcing algorithmic feeds on them.

I have to admit, I’m flattered. Who would’ve thought a small team of volunteers could build something that would catch your attention? We’re just trying to give people a choice in how they share their memories online. No VCs, no surveillance capitalism, just code and community.

Remember when Facebook started? It was about connecting people, not maximizing engagement metrics. Our project might be tiny compared to Instagram, but we’re staying true to that original spirit of social media – giving people control over their online presence without turning them into products.

You could’ve ignored us. Instead, by blocking our links, you’ve given us the best endorsement we could ask for. You’ve confirmed what we’ve been saying all along – that big tech is more interested in protecting their walled gardens than fostering genuine innovation.

Every time you block a link to our platform, you remind people why we built it in the first place. Your action tells them there are alternatives worth exploring, ones that respect their privacy and agency. So thank you, Mark. You’ve turned our little project into a symbol of resistance against digital monopolies.

Perhaps one day you’ll remember what it felt like to be the underdog, building something because you believed in its potential to make the internet better. Our doors are always open if you want to remember what that feels like.

Best regards,

Daniel Supernault

P.S. Keep blocking those links. Every error message is just free advertising for the social web.

This again brought up a topic: How do I treat companies/social networks that literally block the competition?

Easy answer: I avoid them. Or migrate away from them. Then I delete all my data from their network and stay away from them. Sometimes even going so far as to add their domains to my DNS-Blocklist, so I never ever accidentally browse their site again.

Why?

I don't like being forced into a cage. The term "Internet" stands for interconnected networks. Attempting to create isolated "walled gardens" contradicts my core beliefs about how the Internet should function. If platforms like Facebook/Meta or Twitter/X try to oust the competition I'll gladly start using the competition - provided they uphold the principles of openness and connectivity.

There is a straightforward and logical rationale for this: The Internet is immense, and no single service can encompass everything - whether in terms of functionality or content. If a platform chooses to isolate itself in an effort to retain its users, it has every right to do so. However, it must also acknowledge the consequence of losing a few users along the process.