These "super-app" fantasies always ignore the fact that WeChat is ubiquitous in China because the Chinese government practically requires everyone to have it. How exactly is that supposed to be replicated in a non-authoritarian society?
You are not wrong, but I feel that the way that so many users have stayed active on Twitter despite all the controversies under Musk proves that a non-authoritarian audience can potentially sleepwalk itself into a super-app with a mixture of user complacency, shortsightedness, and unwillingness to deal with even a bit of inconvenience to support a competitor.
It's a really small chance, but I think that it is there.
Good point. Sleepwalking into authoritarianism doesn't seem difficult these days.
These "super-app" fantasies always ignore the fact that WeChat is ubiquitous in China because the Chinese government practically requires everyone to have it. How exactly is that supposed to be replicated in a non-authoritarian society?
You are not wrong, but I feel that the way that so many users have stayed active on Twitter despite all the controversies under Musk proves that a non-authoritarian audience can potentially sleepwalk itself into a super-app with a mixture of user complacency, shortsightedness, and unwillingness to deal with even a bit of inconvenience to support a competitor.
It's a really small chance, but I think that it is there.
Good point. Sleepwalking into authoritarianism doesn't seem difficult these days.