In corporate networks, you are a passive consumer. The algorithm decides what you see, based not on your actual interests at the moment, but on what will keep you in the app the longest (usually this is triggering, scandalous, or paid content).
Content is presented as a "recommendation," but in reality it is a tool for attention management
Free Search via Hashtags (Discovery)
In federated and protocol-based networks (especially early Mastodon or Nostr), searching via hashtags is an act of active exploration.
Agency: You decide where to go. If you type the hashtag #DeSoNets, you get everything that was written on the topic, not what the algorithm deemed "viral enough" to show you.
Transparency: You see a real cross-section of opinions, not a filtered selection.
Corporations hate "simple hashtag search", because hashtag search is an inefficient monetization method.
If you find what you're looking for, you quickly leave the app. In hashtag search, it's impossible to subtly "slip in" an ad post so it looks like an organic result without causing irritation. Hashtag search gives a voice to small communities, while algorithms always prioritize "stars" and big budgets.