I think the open question is whether this incentive structure is scalable to a large number of users. It may be that SN's incentive structures work well with this highly self-selected group of users, but that either A) they fail to stop working well if the userbase grows large/mainstream, or B) the incentive structure actually serves to keep the SN userbase relatively small.
One of my friends thinks B is pretty likely because he has a low opinion of the average person's willingness to read text, haha
I should also add that this friend actually considers that a positive. He said he prefers interacting with a small, niche, and knowledgeable communities than mainstream ones. Which, of course, makes total sense.
I think the open question is whether this incentive structure is scalable to a large number of users. It may be that SN's incentive structures work well with this highly self-selected group of users, but that either A) they fail to stop working well if the userbase grows large/mainstream, or B) the incentive structure actually serves to keep the SN userbase relatively small.
One of my friends thinks B is pretty likely because he has a low opinion of the average person's willingness to read text, haha
I should also add that this friend actually considers that a positive. He said he prefers interacting with a small, niche, and knowledgeable communities than mainstream ones. Which, of course, makes total sense.