Hacker News story: Ask HN: Would anyone pay for a social network with no ads or data harvesting?

Ask HN: Would anyone pay for a social network with no ads or data harvesting?
Most large social networks rely on advertising and data collection, which pushes them toward algorithms, engagement optimization, and scale at all costs. I keep seeing complaints about this, but usage rarely changes. A lot of past attempts at “better” social networks seem to stall despite good intentions. I am curious how people here think about this: Would a small, paid social network focused on existing relationships have any realistic chance of adoption, or do network effects and user behavior make this fundamentally unworkable? If you think it fails, what tends to be the real blocker: pricing, lack of novelty, switching costs, or something else? I am looking for reasons this does not work, not encouragement. 9 comments on Hacker News.
Most large social networks rely on advertising and data collection, which pushes them toward algorithms, engagement optimization, and scale at all costs. I keep seeing complaints about this, but usage rarely changes. A lot of past attempts at “better” social networks seem to stall despite good intentions. I am curious how people here think about this: Would a small, paid social network focused on existing relationships have any realistic chance of adoption, or do network effects and user behavior make this fundamentally unworkable? If you think it fails, what tends to be the real blocker: pricing, lack of novelty, switching costs, or something else? I am looking for reasons this does not work, not encouragement.