Why "Slow Social Media" is Unlikely to Prevail
Herman, the founder of Bearblog, published a blog post titled "Slow Social Media" where he posits:
In my opinion, as soon as there is the ability for commercial interests to take hold, they will. The "follow" mechanism is a key part of that. I propose that instead of followers we should regress back to the "friend" or "connection" system where there is a symmetric relationship where both people have to agree to the connection. There is no good reason to have "followers" on a platform that is trying to improve relationships. "Following" is purely for egotistical or financial gain and breeds parasocial relationships.
However, similar "slow social media" platforms have existed before. The early stages of most social media, such as the now-maligned Facebook, were once considered "slow social media".
The inherent problem with "slow social media" is that once it achieves any measure of success, it inevitably "accelerates". Marketers of all stripes will then flock to it, exploiting its characteristics to generate profit.
Therefore, the pace of social media, whether fast or slow, is not intrinsically linked to the platform itself, but rather to capitalism. Capitalism is destined to take advantage of everything, including "slow social media".