If you live in Mississippi, you may have noticed that you are no longer able to log into your Bluesky or Dreamwidth accounts from within the state. That’s because, in a chilling early warning sign for the U.S., both social platforms decided to block all users in Mississippi from their services rather than risk hefty fines under the state’s oppressive age verification mandate.

This consolidation of power is a dream come true for the Big Tech platforms, but it’s a nightmare for users. While the megacorporations get more traffic and a whole lot more user data (read: profit), users are left with far fewer community options and a bland, corporate surveillance machine instead of a vibrant public sphere. The internet we all fell in love with is a diverse and colorful place, full of innovation, connection, and unique opportunities for self-expression. That internet—our internet—is worth defending.

  • rothaine@lemmy.zipEnglish
    22·
    2 days ago

    Plenty of people have second-hand items to sell without using fb marketplace.

    Where? Craigslist has become a pit. eBay is not cost effective for large items that are expensive to ship.

    • Grabthar@lemmy.worldEnglish
      7·
      2 days ago

      Don’t know where you are, but Kijiji is absolutely thriving in Ontario. My old man has about 40-50 items up at any given time, and has no problems finding buyers to rotate through his stock, and he is nowhere near a major population centre. I just looked at ads for a city centre and there is a lot available. It is definitely possible to work outside of facebook.