Farewell sweet Eggbug
Although I never got too involved on it, the demise of Cohost still saddens me. It represented something different, something that actually tried to do something that was enjoyable to use. Actually made for people. A refreshing change from what seems to be the default mode of operation of post-Great Recession internet ventures:
- Make something kind of appealing to get a foot in the door.
- Monetize the fuck out of everything, grab as much user data as possible, and stuff it full of ads.
- ???
- Sell to Google/Facebook/etc.
It always was a long shot, getting a social(-ish) media outfit—if you can call a micro-blogging platform that—off the ground in 2023/24, especially one that actively rejected the dominant venture capital driven/growth-at-all-costs approach, and I feel that some of the ideas the people behind it had were ill-conceived, but still. The heart hopes for what the head knows is unlikely.
It had problems, true. I just wish it'd gotten the chance to fix them. Alas.
RIP Eggbug. Gone, but never forgotten.