there is no doubt there are some people wanting control of these networks not just for profit but to limit communication, look at how these algorithms are meant to divide us. people obsessed with being on the “same site” while that sites software divides them further than you and i communicating on different instances.
I don’t believe this is just “what the users want” esp since I know what people like Spez and elon like to push for and have no qualms controlling these networks as they think thats what others have been doing even though thats the farthest from the truth.
And its clear control is a big goal, altering posts, shadow bans and more have been perpetrated on these central networks with no way for anyone to know whats happening.
The good news is, this is not how the internet works, most of these companies are on the way to making the commons spaces they created irrelevant. Putting the walls up and controlling speech while screaming free speech has never really worked on networks with open protocols. Its too easy to switch ultimately, people just have mental boxes.