Orkut offered an early taste of digital freedom. Identity was light, participation was casual, and leaving was easy. Social interaction existed without permanence or ownership becoming serious concerns.

Facebook shifted that dynamic. Real names, photos, and relationships became anchored into a persistent digital identity. Connection improved, but identity became something stored, indexed, and owned by the platform rather than the individual.

Twitter opened a global conversation. At first it felt neutral and permissionless. Over time, algorithms replaced chronology, visibility became conditional, and narratives were shaped by centralized incentives. Once again, the platform endured while the user became secondary.

Each platform began as a revolution. None were designed for control, but scale enabled capture. Convenience was traded for ownership, and identity slowly moved out of the hands of users.

Nostr breaks this pattern. There is no company, no central server, and no master identity database. Identity exists only as a key you control. Participation is voluntary, and exit is absolute. The system cannot survive you without consent.

Money has followed the same path. Ownership gave way to custody, then abstraction, then inflation. Efficiency increased while sovereignty declined.

Bitcoin reflects the same lesson Nostr teaches: hold your own keys, accept responsibility, don’t outsource control.

Technology can move toward more honest systems, but freedom is never automatic. It survives only if users choose to keep it.

#nostr #bitcoin