Still on legacy social media?
If you are still using legacy social media, you need to find 20 minutes and listen to Jaron Lanier, an insider.
At 15:50, he explains how to turn this train wreck around. As far as I am concerned, Jaron Lanier teleports 5 years into the future and starts to describe what he sees - Nostr.
If you're interested in his detoxed solution for social media, join me on Nostr.
Privacy by Default with a Universal ID
Nostr incorporates cryptography into creating an online identity, a kind of universal ID for all things Nostr. There may be countless accounts on Nostr using the name Olive Grove Eggs, but there is only one me. You can find me using my user key:
npub10dpmrjay77xcu6z2sxsv7h7dfl6puzcxgyd6ssxkwh9th8sdgk3sj39zws
Only I can post as myself, thanks to a second, encrypted key. And the best part? No one needs my email, full name, phone number, address, or age to verify my identity. This is what "privacy by default" truly means.
Freedom of Choice Without the Paradox of Choice
Nostr empowers users with the freedom to choose. Unlike traditional social media platforms, which are walled gardens, where you end up confined to a specific network, Nostr is open. Every line of content and photo and video is published to "Nostr," and there is unrestricted access to all that content. This means there are dozens of "Twitters" on Nostr, all vying for attention, none of them able to hook you in artificially. They cannot force you to love them :) This open architecture allows you to switch between different social media apps (clients) at your convenience. If you’re dissatisfied with the direction a particular client is taking, you can simply log out and log in to another one. Your content and, most importantly, your tribe of followers will still be there, waiting for you. Contrast that to storming off Facebook to Twitter and starting again.
This is a game-changer. Nostr transfers power from corporations to users. You’re no longer held captive by a specific platform or forced to adapt to unwanted changes. How many times have Facebook moved the goalposts, and you are really annoyed, but not so annoyed that you are willing to jump through the hoops in place before you can leave?
The paradox of choice becomes irrelevant because, while many Nostr social media clients compete to be the best, they also share a mission to make Nostr the most appealing and sustainable option. With switching being hassle-free, users are presented with a wealth of choices in a very healthy manner.
The only madness is how Nostr can feel so sane!
Many refugees from Twitter echo this sentiment. It’s remarkably peaceful and positive on Nostr, with no moderator in sight!
I think that is because on Nostr, you’re in control. You decide who and what to follow. You can engage with a global feed, the Wild West, and navigate your way—though that’s not necessarily recommended. Alternatively, you can focus on specific hashtag topics that pique your interest, like #gardening or #chickens. But whichever route, always it is you who chooses who to follow and what to see. You can easily block bots and unsavoury accounts. In other words, you have complete agency over your network, curating it yourself. That's what social media without algorithms and ads and biased CEO's looks like. It really isn't an angry, sick and divided thing!
If you’re weary of the typical social media experience and its negative effects on your mental health, consider giving Nostr a try. As Jaron Lanier points out, traditional platforms are designed to keep you engaged by angering, dividing and depressing you, so they can harvest your data. They can’t control what you think, but they can control what you think about. Nostr provides a refreshing alternative.
I will now go collect my commission for this advertorial from the Nostr CEO.
What’s that? They're telling me there is no CEO!!!!! WTF, wait til I get a hold of...ommmm.
