three robots sitting down at an assembly line

Intelligent Automation and the Future of Social Media

The Role of Automation in a New Internet

LLMs are creating a new, higher level of abstraction on top of our programming languages, making efficient, dynamic, and flexible automation possible. The only limits seem to be the quality, density, and volume of data we're able to provide. But what limitations will our data have when all has been fed into the machine?

Two heads made up of little particles like data, suggesting AI learning human knowledge

What would happen if this machine could actually hold our collective memories? What would happen if we had access to it at all times?

I ask before leading into my next point because I wonder how much of the hopes we pin on AI solving our biggest problems will actually come down to the limitations of our own data.

One of the biggest things I think we lack data on is how we build our tools for communication, social media.

Why Are We Still Centralizing Social Media?

After seeing so many viral platforms end up a disappointment, why do we keep trying the same thing, thinking, "this time it will be different"?

The Core Issue: Social Media's Structural Flaw

"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."

It's my opinion that the only way we won't end up with the same problem is to change our perspective about the problem.

It's also my opinion that it's in the nature of the code itself of modern social media to do what it's doing to us.

nondescript business figures walking around digital offices

It's only recently, with distributed ledgers and now with the rise of automation, that there's a growing awareness of how close we have been to getting away from middlemen who position themselves as gatekeepers. We've had the ability and tools for some time now, but culturally? We only just got here a little over 20 years ago and are still shell-shocked, oblivious to how bad things were being run in such a short period of time.

Before the internet, we were separate, distinct, geographically isolated communities—something that has driven us to find the connection we have now, ironically.

Now that we have all this connection?

We're realizing this hierarchy, this centralized system isn’t actually helping us move forward technologically or socially. We're drowning in spam, scams, and can't hear each other well through the noise to have genuine connections.

Automation as the Key to Decentralization

The key to breaking free from this cycle isn't just decentralization—it’s automation. AI-driven automation could allow us to build social platforms that don’t require the same level of involvement and management.

🔹 Less reliance on power dynamics and revenue-driven decision-making.
🔹 A system that doesn't require endless human intervention to sustain itself.

It's possible that we could find a way to do so without the need for:

If done correctly, it could all be supported without:

Why?
Because as soon as rigid hierarchies form, they inevitably fall into the same traps—centralization, growth obsession, revenue extraction.

If we want a real solution, it cannot take that path.

A DAO-Driven, AI-Powered System

A legal DAO, operating with AI agents, could delegate tasks to external third parties (CDNs, moderation, development, etc.) via service contracts. More than just overseeing these functions, AI automation could handle:

📌 Key AI-Driven Processes

decentralized nodes connected via lines

No decentralized social media platform today has successfully implemented this level of automation. Instead, they either:

1️⃣ Mimic centralized structures, leading to the same scalability and governance issues.
2️⃣ Decentralize too much, leaving individual users to host infrastructure they have no clue how to operate or fund.

The Investor Dilemma: Why Money Warps Intentions

A decentralized social platform must be free from investor-driven incentives.

🚨 If the people building it are waiting for a vesting scheme, or for a 10x return, the system will warp under the pressure.

Development will twist into unnatural forms, prioritizing profit over its original mission.

The problem isn't just how social media is structured—it's who controls it, and why.

The only way forward is to remove those pressures entirely, allowing the platform to evolve based on user needs rather than corporate mandates.

The Trap of Centralization: Growth for Growth’s Sake

Centralizing user data for speed and efficiency was originally a great idea.

✅ It allowed us to explore what this sort of experience could be like.
✅ It enabled rapid user adoption and innovation.

…but it inevitably led to the same problems every time.

🔺 Step 1: Platform reaches network effects.
🔺 Step 2: Monopoly on that type of user experience.
🔺 Step 3: Focus shifts from innovation → control.

After that point, the code, the company, the staff, and the culture all become strategically focused on self-preservation. It's just becomes a reflection of the company that was brought to life to build it, shaped by their biases and preconceptions about what social media needs to be.

two large pyramids, representing strict hierarchy and power

🚨 The worst possible direction for software that should be thriving on autonomy, privacy, and trust.

Growth and revenue became the dominant priorities, overriding the platform’s original purpose.

The Core Problem: Centralized Databases and Power Structures

The centralization of control over user data fuels this entire process.

💰 Why? Because centralized databases aren’t just technical tools—they create economic and power dynamics that naturally lead to:

Does this mean centralized databases are bad? No.
We need a paradigm shift.
Not just in how we build platforms, but in who owns them, how they operate, and how they sustain themselves.

Final Thought: Can We Actually Build This?

Yes.
But only if we break from the cycle of centralization, investor dependency, and unsustainable growth.

🚀 Decentralization alone isn't enough.
🛠️ AI automation will be key.
🔄 DAOs must evolve beyond token-gated governance.

The next generation of social media won't look like what we have now.
And that’s a good thing.