The problem is that platforms and web hosting services are engaging in censorship too.
The article gives Cloudflare as example. Hosting porn content, even if it is art, can get very expensive because most services have an explicit no porn policy.
Also without Google Search and without presence on a big social network, you’re essentially invisible.
The situation for mobile apps is even worse, as Apple doesn’t allow porn content in its App Store and Google started banning such content as well.
Also the article mentions the by-law censorship of articles in which sex workers are interviewed due to FOSTA-SESTA.
So the smaller websites you’re talking about are being pushed off the web ;-)
It's always like that. TV and radio were quirky in the early days too, but as soon as you go mass market it changes. It's not the medium, it's the people on it. Time to keep moving and get away from the mainstream.
Is it really "people on it", or is it just the ad-based business model? Sure, mass market means lowest common denominator, but people generally don't mind weirdness as long as it doesn't force itself on them. I feel most cases of censorship or self-censorship of weirdness on the media has always something to do with some advertiser not wanting their ads associated with weirdness.
problem always is that moving away from the mainstream is non trivial and only for people with oodles of money. for eg if i want to use ipfs i should have
1.a computer capable of handling these connections
2.an internet connection capable of handling the connections with no caps forcing me offline
we need solutions that allow any weirdo to easily get online and say what they want to say
One would say HN is pretty mainstream nowadays. Any suggestions for alternative communities? I feel like there is an extreme lack of what HN used to be. How do I get away from the people on it?
The article gives Cloudflare as example. Hosting porn content, even if it is art, can get very expensive because most services have an explicit no porn policy.
Also without Google Search and without presence on a big social network, you’re essentially invisible.
The situation for mobile apps is even worse, as Apple doesn’t allow porn content in its App Store and Google started banning such content as well.
Also the article mentions the by-law censorship of articles in which sex workers are interviewed due to FOSTA-SESTA.
So the smaller websites you’re talking about are being pushed off the web ;-)