Okay, let's talk about the power play and existing possibilities and incentives.
We've all seen how Big Tech uses engagement algorithms to keep us hooked. They strategically throw at us everything from rage bait to polarising content and hyper sexualised content (most would agree that Instagram is more erotic-powered than Xvideos itself).
Now, Nostr's supposed to be our breath of fresh air, right? We should not take it for granted.
Let's have a frank discussion on Clients.
Think about it. The teams developing Nostr Clients have the incentive to want more users. I love what they do and I'm grateful for it. Of course we all understand market forces and it makes sense that Client teams need to become financially successful. This is how it will become sustainable.
So, in a hypothetical scenario, Client teams may do some implicit or explicit partnerships with influencers.
It's a bit like scratching each other's back – you help me get users, I help you get followers.
Important: I'm not accusing anybody of this. I'm just saying it is a POSSIBILITY. The incentives are there.
Ever noticed how, right after you join some Nostr Clients, they're already nudging you to follow certain big names? That's not just random. Could there be some deal behind the scenes? We may never know. But it is POSSIBLE. And this possibility by itself is already quite worrisome.
And what about those Nostr "Highlights" or "Trending"? On the one side, it can be seen as a useful feature to help... on the other side, this is editorial intervention coming from the Client to steering the ship towards certain content.
Could Nostr Clients be motivated to simply give interesting content and help new users stick and reduce churn? Or could there be the aspiration to have power such as the one from Big Tech determining what to add to our feed and what to shadow-ban?
Once again: I'm not accusing any Client of doing this. I'm very grateful to have the possibility of using nostr.
However I'm pointing out IT IS TECHNICALLY POSSIBLE that Clients get too much editorial power akin to Big Tech, boosting certain content for whatever reason coming from them and this alone is very worrisome.
Let's keep our eyes open. Where there is power, there is the possibility of abuse of that power.
We've got to stay sharp, ask questions, and discuss with Client developers about their features of editorial recommendations.
Will c.c. important Clients to our ecossystem as well as individuals who I believe care about this topic
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