> group of C-level executives

Yep, that's how I think of them too. 😀

My top 3 "favorite" (aka juicy) discoveries about #WSocial, which I discuss on my blog:

🔗 : blog.elenarossini.com/the-unto…

1) The co-founders picked #ATproto but only started using the network WEEKS after their Davos launch

2) The CEO said "we also want to keep European data in Europe to maybe train European AI models with our data because we also have amazing AI companies in Europe" 🤯

3) W Social user "homersimpson"

If you enjoy the article please boost it 🙏

The Untold Story About W Social: Unconventional Beginnings, Strategic Pitches and Conflicting Signals

A deep dive into the origin story of W Social, an analysis of the strategic arguments they have been using to appeal to government officials, media companies and advertisers... and the discussion of conflicting signals they have been sending

^{Elena Rossini}

Nice work. Absolutely something I would boost across other networks if I still had accounts on them!

(also, BeReal is still around?!)

Wow superbe recherche !
Donc, en somme... C'est de la merde. Ou werde on pourrait dire.

Je n'ai pas fait 1% de ta recherche. Mais en faisant le sign up, ça m'as beaucoup fâché que j'étais invité à utiliser GOOGLE pour la création du compte... Ils se vendent comme un produit / réseau européen indépendant... Et PAF, Google. J'ai fait un post pour me plaindre à ce sujet et je n'y suis plus jamais allé à nouveau.

Elena's new business card :

Elena Rossini
Mastodon
Marketing and investigation

I think the motives are easy.

1. They want to make money.
2. Politicians want to appear to be doing something about social media along various axes (age gates, identity, sovereignty)
3. "We have a product ready to go, give us funding / move your social presence to us / write laws that match our behaviour and cause problems for our competitors" is a tried and tested way to get market dominance.

Very well done!

I'm still amazed that so many people think all they have to do is "talk a good game" once they make all the connections, all the while thinking that they're so stealthy and sneaky enough to bypass any suspicions, and then, "just a little bit more, and we'll fool everybody".

I swear they just can't help themselves and still end up with a massive trail of breadcrumbs for someone to find, and in this case, that someone was you.

@vinterkarusell

This was a great piece. Sounds like you have your next research project lined up.

@w_b @vinterkarusell would like to add this is a great piece. It reminds me a lot of people like Rutger Bregman and his "School For Moral Ambition". He also made a bit of a name for himself at Davos.

People should be asking - why (and how?) are these people being pushed onto such a platform?

Most of these people see things like climate change as nice opportunities to earn $$$ - either directly or through additional soft power.

@vinterkarusell

No one needs enemies, especially those in power.

Thank you for your efforts and analysis.

« #WSocial 's beta program will open on June 17th and it will be interesting to see how many people will be willing to give W their government IDs to set up an account - when #Eurosky and #Bluesky exist, plug into the same network, and do not have such a requirement. »

... and @france-atmosphe.re is actively pushing Bluesky accounts verification

Very nicely done. Congratulations. 👏

It would be somewhat depressing if an opportunistic top down initiative like this succeeded. Have you read Carl Malamud's An Internet Travelogue? It may or may not be realistic to still hope that grass roots power still exists and may yet prevail. The book describes the triumph of nerds over bureaucrats in protocol-land. CM is still doing good things.

excellent investigation, thank you!

However, that hat already told me all I needed to know up front 😡

He's a brilliant public advocate, less well known than say Tim Berners-Lee, or Brewster Kahlé, but v much someone who made a difference, and is still doing so.

whomadetheinternet.com/carl-ma…

I knew some of the people he profiled in the book which made it a fun read.

@paco thank you!

As was alrwmeady well said here, build the social tools not the capitalist money machine!

troet.cafe/@tusk/1166929957499…