FACEBOOK
OPTIMIZED FOR SURVEILLANCE
Cambridge Analytica harvested 87 million profiles. Internal documents prove Instagram harms teen mental health.
SYSTEM STATUS GRID
MONITORING 12 NODES // STATUS: DEGRADED
Optimized for high-arousal negative emotions. Feed shifted from 'Social Connection' to 'Algorithmic Conflict'.
OS functions as ad-delivery vehicle. Updates forced on users. Local accounts hidden during setup.
Search index poisoned by AI sludge. Zero-click extraction prioritizes widgets over organic results.
Marketplace flooded with drop-shipped e-waste. 'Amazon's Choice' is a sold label, not a quality badge.
Transitioned from 'Community-Owned' to 'Data Farm.' API pricing killed innovation to feed AI scrapers.
Decoupled rider pricing from driver wages. Platform extracts 40%+ of transaction value while owning zero assets.
Systematic removal of core features. Prices decoupled from content library value. User hostility increased 300%.
Discovery replaced by 'Smart Shuffle' (sponsored). UI cluttered with unwanted podcasts.
Hardware ownership is an illusion. Arbitrary restrictions on software freedom to protect services revenue.
AOSP stripped of tracking code. Google Play Services sandboxed. Treats user as admin, not product.
Private ownership prevents shareholder extraction loops. Compete with piracy by offering better service.
Federated protocol ensures no single point of control. End-to-end encryption by default.
HOW THE TRAP WORKS
Subsidized Growth
Uber burned through $32 billion in venture capital subsidizing rides below cost. The goal wasn't to provide cheap transportation. It was to bankrupt traditional taxi services and create a captive market. Amazon operated Diapers.com at a loss specifically to destroy competitors.
"Here is how platforms die: first, they are good to their users; then they abuse their users to make things better for their business customers; finally, they abuse those business customers to claw back all the value for themselves."
— Cory Doctorow, 'The Internet Con'
THE STRUCTURAL DIFFERENCES
These platforms resist decay not because they are "nice," but because their structure makes extraction impossible.
STEAM
ELEMENT
GRAPHENEOS
HOW TO AVOID GETTING TRAPPED
DEMAND DATA PORTABILITY
Before committing to any platform, check if you can export your data in standard formats (CSV, JSON, Markdown). If the platform makes it difficult or impossible to leave with your content intact, that's a red flag. Your photos, documents, and social connections should be portable. Platforms that refuse export functionality are planning to hold you hostage later.
FAVOR OPEN STANDARDS OVER PROPRIETARY SYSTEMS
Email works because it's an open protocol. Gmail can talk to Outlook, ProtonMail can talk to Yahoo. Your messaging apps should work the same way. Platforms built on open protocols (Matrix for chat, RSS for content, ActivityPub for social) can't trap you because competition is always one click away. Proprietary systems (iMessage, Facebook Messenger, Slack) are designed to create lock-in.
SUPPORT FINANCIALLY SUSTAINABLE MODELS
If you're not paying for the product, someone else is, and they're paying for access to you. Subscription-based services align incentives: they profit when you're satisfied enough to renew. Ad-supported platforms profit when you're engaged, which often means angry, anxious, or addicted. Patreon, Ko-fi, and direct payment keep creators accountable to audiences, not algorithms.
SELF-HOST WHAT MATTERS
You don't need to run your own email server, but critical infrastructure should be under your control. Host your website on a VPS, not Wix. Use Nextcloud for files instead of Google Drive. Run a Matrix homeserver for team chat. "The cloud" is just someone else's computer, and they can change the terms whenever they want. Ownership means control.
READ THE ROOM: WATCH FOR WARNING SIGNS
Platform decay follows patterns. When a company goes public (IPO), expect quality to drop within 18 months. When a private equity firm acquires a beloved service, start looking for alternatives immediately. When "features" get removed and "premium tiers" multiply, extraction has begun. Trust your gut.