I have bitter memories of Ning. In 2008 a community group I was in clung to their Ning site despite me building them a far superior option. The community split between the two. In 2010 when they removed the free tier my warnings about enshitification and reliance of corporate platforms was finally vindicated but we'd already lost momentum by then.
e.g. the Reichstag fire where Nazis burned down their own parliament to frame their enemies.