https://hamishcampbell.com/the-importance-of-words-and-ideology/

All language is metaphor, and the metaphors we choose shape how people think about problems and solutions. The “digital drugs” metaphor works because it makes the addictive design clear, but it can also push people into a moral panic frame (“users are addicts”), which risks oversimplifying.

A few metaphors you might find less #blocking of the #hashtag story:

* Food & Nutrition

#Dotcons = junk food (engineered to keep you consuming, empty calories).

#Bsky = diet soda (feels lighter, but still unhealthy).

#Fediverse = a community kitchen (messy, you have to cook and wash up, but nourishing and shared).

* Urban Space

#Dotcons = shopping malls (bright, controlled, profit-driven).

#Bsky = curated boutique arcade (less harsh, but still enclosed).

#Fediverse = the street commons (chaotic, noisy, sometimes rough, but free and collectively shaped).

* Agriculture/Gardening

#Dotcons = monoculture agribusiness (neat rows, efficient, but sterile and toxic).

#Bsky = organic supermarket (nicer branding, but still transactional).

#Fediverse/#OMN = messy permaculture garden (takes effort, community labour, but self-sustaining and alive).

These metaphors keep the critique, from individual pathology to collective space.