&gt; devolve power in the system as much as possible<p>Can you think of good examples where this has actually happened? In most cases you have situations like where everyone has access to the sum of all human knowledge for free, but where high-SES kids have more time and ability to benefit. Part of the issue is that social software is built on networks, and networks naturally concentrate power because of Zipf&#x27;s Law.<p>Most design elements are also really just double edged swords. E.g. lots of people argue that Facebook&#x27;s real names policy is bad for the LGBTQ community or whatever. But at the same time, Xbox Live isn&#x27;t exactly the world&#x27;s most LGBTQ friendly community either.<p>One of my favorite quotes on social software is still this old one from Joi Ito, &quot;You&#x27;re not a leader, you&#x27;re a place. You&#x27;re like a park or a garden. If it&#x27;s comfortable and cool, people are attracted.&quot; It&#x27;s important to be cognizant of power structures when designing structures, but at the same time what really makes good social software is seeking out and accentuating the interstitial. But this usually eventually results in the creation of new power structures, and the best we can do is try to give a wide variety of folks the opportunity to benefit.