The timing because all these blocks can be trivially VPN’d around by anyone who cares to, even China’s. But most Chinese people don’t bother because by the time the bad apps took over the world China already had its alternatives up and running. And the size because social media, especially the mega world eating social media like Twitter and the Facebook properties like Whatsapp, are all about the network effect. All the reasons nobody gives a shit about Bluesky or Mastodon would go tenfold, a hundredfold, as much for a Venezuela-only Twitter competitor.
The timing because all these blocks can be trivially VPN’d around by anyone who cares to, even China’s. But most Chinese people don’t bother because by the time the bad apps took over the world China already had its alternatives up and running. And the size because social media, especially the mega world eating social media like Twitter and the Facebook properties like Whatsapp, are all about the network effect. All the reasons nobody gives a shit about Bluesky or Mastodon would go tenfold, a hundredfold, as much for a Venezuela-only Twitter competitor.