How We Lost Communication to Entertainment
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Social networks have evolved from communication tools into entertainment platforms that prioritize content consumption over reliable message delivery. The Fediverse, built on ActivityPub, reflects this shift—designed as a content distribution protocol rather than a true communication network like email or XMPP. Users now expect multiple accounts per platform and accept dropped messages, conditioned by algorithmic feeds that never guaranteed delivery. Traditional asynchronous communication tools (email, RSS, IRC) remain reliable but are considered boring because they don't trigger dopamine hits or create addiction. A small community still values these "boring" protocols for genuine human connection over endless content consumption.
Table of contents
Two incompatible universesA multiplicity of accountsNo more communicationThe lost messagesHow we lost emailBoringness of communicationsAs long as I’m not aloneSort: