zlacker

If they have a privileged position, it is earned and freely given. No one is obligated to use the site. The issue is more one of the commons being enclosed and encircled by corporate interests, and then branded and commodified. Once the deed is done, there is no reason for folks to leave, because everyone they know is there.

Most communities on Reddit that I’d care to be a part of have additional places to gather, but I do take your point that there are few good alternatives to r/jailbreak, for example.

The host always sets its own rules. How else could anything actually get done? The coordination problem is hard enough as it is. It’s a wonder that social media exists at all.

Gatekeepers will always exist adjacent to the point of entry, otherwise every site turns extremist and becomes overrun with scammers and spammers.