Interesting article, but I don't really agree with their conclusions. I think social networks are legacy from first engaging people on the real web and have a fate similar to AOL.
Experiments in decentralized social are more of a test run of components for "subversive" networks that will eventually engage the global youth politically on tor rather than compete with fb for grandparents sharing photos and recipes or Myspace as a MP3 storage space for forty somethings with bands.
Experiments in decentralized social are more of a test run of components for "subversive" networks that will eventually engage the global youth politically on tor rather than compete with fb for grandparents sharing photos and recipes or Myspace as a MP3 storage space for forty somethings with bands.