GolemDec 3, 2022
Chema Hernández Gil
Continuing my speculation as to what #corporate presence in the #fediverse could look like:

Beyond a #federation toll, I think instances could institute profit sharing with their users. This would turn instances into quasi-consumer unions, benefiting from collective bargaining power over the advertising users are exposed to.

The flip side is that companies will also want to leverage collective bargaining so they will consolidate into a few instances. Respective admins would negotiate on behalf of users and companies and reach a toll agreement that could then be approved by users.

Big companies that refused to cooperate or resorted to guerrilla advertising would end up blocked and their instances could end up fediblocked.

RT: https://social.sanfranciscan.org/objects/822e78e3-233a-47ba-83bd-c78cb033675c
Chema Hernández Gil :verifiable: (@[email protected])

@jrm4 If growth continues like this, I think it's inevitable that companies will join. They go where the consumers are. But power dynamics have shifted. Coke's or Amazon's instance could and would...

Dec 3, 2022 at 5:42pmWeb
Show threadChema Hernández GilDec 3, 2022

To break if down:

Corporations are just a collective of shareholders pursuing profit.

Fediverse/Mastodon instances are just a collective of people socializing.

TL;DR: If corporations want access to an instance to hawk their products and services, they need to pay the instances, which should distribute profit to the people on the instance.

Show threadChema Hernández GilDec 3, 2022
Instances will want to maximize federation toll revenue, so they will try to have as many people as possible. That will hopefully mean they will maximize not just payouts to users, but also maximize the amount of time people spend on that particular instance. So I can imagine proportional distribution. The more you post, the more your share is.

Your payout will be proportional to the content your bring to the table.
Show threadChema Hernández GilDec 3, 2022
The largest instance is mastodon.social. They currently have 881,362 people.

If Amazon or Disney create an instance to tell the fediverse about Prime Day or the newest Marvel movie, why wouldn't mastodon.social demand a federation toll?

Let's say $20 million a year each. Admins keep 10% for overhead and redistribute the remaining $18 million among the people on the instance, that would be about $40 a year per user for just two companies.
Show threadChema Hernández GilDec 3, 2022
I am not advocating for any this, but I also think companies will go to wherever people are. They need consumers because their sole purpose is to pursue profit. But the fediverse provides an opportunity to change the relationship we have with advertising and it needs to be recognized.
Show threadChema Hernández GilDec 3, 2022
And it is also important to recognize this because there will be bad, anti-social instance admins who will want to make backroom deals with companies. Folks who will want to keep all of the federation tolls and not just enough to cover overhead costs.

If that ever happens, people should just leave that instance. Being an admin is service work. Maybe a good paying job, but a job nonetheless.