Did you just coin that? It appropriately captures what is going on, but without having the positive connotation that comes from a 'walled garden'. I love the phrase.
As an example outside of messaging, I have a fitbit and 'digital prison' so aptly describes what happens with my personal health data. I can't get my heart rate data out of their prison, because the fitbit warden doesn't see it fit to grant me the privilege to access my raw data.
Part of cult indoctrination is giving up personal and private information, documents, secrets and property to participate and become part of the whole. Meanwhile, leaders profit from the property and information given up and use secrets to blackmail or breakdown an individual's identity so they become dependent on the group.
Here's a list of actual cult characteristics [1]. The comparison is an idiotic one to make.
Which is exactly why people go to them.
> while in reality you go there because it's the most crowded place.
Directly true of social networks (where the "crop" is "people you can interact with through the network"), perhaps less directly true of some other walled gardens (though network effects are a thing.)
But also directly opposite of what you'd expect from a "cult compound", which people go more to escape what is most popular, than to experience what is most popular.
Agreed, I thought of this point while sending my comment but wasn't sure how to put that in words. So maybe it's the "most crowded garden party".
Or at least your data can't.
[0] http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/eagles/hotelcalifornia.html