It feels like the web is becoming more closed every year — fewer open forums, more platforms locking away data and communities behind logins. What do you think are the biggest forces driving the decline of the open internet? Are walled gardens like Discord the main problem, or is it something else like artificial intelligence, corporate consolidation, surveillance, or changing user habits?
Social media companies created algorithms to allow people to find content without having to look for it. This drove users and content creators to their sites and off the web.
For social media companies, a user’s value comes from having an account, so they have a vested interest in locking away content. For content creators, it is a lot easier to get noticed if an algorithm provides the advertising and some sites now allow for monetization within their walled garden. For users, they get content that never ends.