"Facebook effectively provides limited, specialized web hosting supported by ads. There's no reason companies can't offer exactly the same thing via open protocols."
If a few companies offer the hosting of nodes, rather than true "open"/"federated" where each user is in personal control of his node than really you have little change than the current system.
Rather than a monopoly on the social graph, you will have a biopoly/etc with control still spread between a small group of actors who will just bound together for mutual benefit.
The idea of true federation and disparate systems where each user is in personal control of his node is really the utopia. But sadly it's never going to happen.
If a few companies offer the hosting of nodes, rather than true "open"/"federated" where each user is in personal control of his node than really you have little change than the current system.
Rather than a monopoly on the social graph, you will have a biopoly/etc with control still spread between a small group of actors who will just bound together for mutual benefit.
The idea of true federation and disparate systems where each user is in personal control of his node is really the utopia. But sadly it's never going to happen.