{"id":18115,"date":"2024-02-07T10:49:02","date_gmt":"2024-02-07T09:49:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/affidaty.io\/blog\/?p=18115"},"modified":"2024-02-07T10:49:04","modified_gmt":"2024-02-07T09:49:04","slug":"decentralised-social-networks-social-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/affidaty.io\/blog\/en\/2024\/02\/decentralised-social-networks-social-media\/","title":{"rendered":"Decentralised social networks: is this the new era of social media?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We live in an era where digital technologies have permeated every aspect of our society, radically transforming how we connect, communicate, and consume information. One of the innovations that has most profoundly altered our habits and modes of interaction over the last 20 years is undoubtedly represented by <strong>social media<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Consider that the latest data shared by We Are Social and Meltwater in their annual report <a href=\"https:\/\/wearesocial.com\/it\/blog\/2023\/01\/digital-2023-i-dati-globali\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Digital 2023<\/a> speaks of 4.76 billion active <strong>social media<\/strong> <strong>users<\/strong> worldwide (59.4% of the population) and an average daily time spent on <strong>social media<\/strong> of 2 hours and 31 minutes for individuals aged 18-64 with internet access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And if we were still not convinced of the central role these platforms play today, just take a look at the ranking of the top 10 most downloaded apps (Figure 1) to understand how these tech giants occupy a central role in today&#8217;s society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/affidaty.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/IMAGE-ART.-ZANATA-1-1024x573.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-18122 lazyload\" style=\"width:677px;height:auto\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"573\" src=\"https:\/\/affidaty.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/IMAGE-ART.-ZANATA-1-1024x573.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-18122\" style=\"width:677px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/affidaty.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/IMAGE-ART.-ZANATA-1-1024x573.png 1024w, https:\/\/affidaty.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/IMAGE-ART.-ZANATA-1-560x313.png 560w, https:\/\/affidaty.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/IMAGE-ART.-ZANATA-1-150x84.png 150w, https:\/\/affidaty.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/IMAGE-ART.-ZANATA-1-768x430.png 768w, https:\/\/affidaty.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/IMAGE-ART.-ZANATA-1-1536x860.png 1536w, https:\/\/affidaty.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/IMAGE-ART.-ZANATA-1-750x420.png 750w, https:\/\/affidaty.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/IMAGE-ART.-ZANATA-1-1140x638.png 1140w, https:\/\/affidaty.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/IMAGE-ART.-ZANATA-1.png 1651w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><br>Figure 1 &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/wearesocial.com\/it\/blog\/2023\/01\/digital-2023-i-dati-globali\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">We Are Social &amp; Meltwater, Digital Report 2023<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:31px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, the relationship with <strong>social media<\/strong> is certainly not idyllic. The heavier these platforms become, the more frequent the criticisms that consistently rain down on the heads of founders and executives of big tech. In fact, despite the considerable time each of us spends on social networks, these digital spaces cannot be considered devoid of risks or issues. Privacy violations, misinformation, and control concentrated in the hands of a few large tech companies are well-known problems that increasingly require a structural solution. In this context, concepts of distribution and decentralization &#8211; often associated with the blockchain world &#8211; are more frequently cited as elements capable of redefining <strong>social media<\/strong> as we know them today. But is it really so? Let&#8217;s try to understand together by analyzing some concrete examples of companies and projects that have embraced these concepts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The largest and best-known among <strong>decentralized social networks<\/strong> is called <a href=\"https:\/\/joinmastodon.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Mastodon<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At first glance, it appears as a microblogging platform very similar to X (or Twitter, for the more nostalgic), but in essence, it is a platform completely different from the major social networks we are accustomed to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Mastodon<\/strong> is characterized by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>a business model devoid of advertising and recommendation algorithms;<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>a decentralized architecture that ensures user control over data and content;<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>a paradigm defined as <em>community-oriented<\/em>.<br><br><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This platform allows various digital communities located on servers scattered around the world to connect with each other, while ensuring that each instance (server) &#8211; each with its own topics and characteristics &#8211; maintains its autonomy in terms of governance and moderation. In this sense, the platform presents itself as a true decentralized alternative to traditional <strong>social media<\/strong> with the declared goal &#8220;<em>to return control of content distribution to people by avoiding the insertion of sponsored <\/em><strong><em>users<\/em><\/strong><em> and posts in feeds.<\/em>&#8221; (Mastodon)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Together with other platforms, <mark class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-purple-color\">Mastodon<\/mark> is part of the <mark class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-purple-color\">Fediverse<\/mark>, a group of federated servers used for web publishing and file hosting. <br>As of today, the <mark class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-purple-color\">Fediverse<\/mark> has about 13 million subscribers worldwide distributed across more than 22 thousand servers (<a href=\"https:\/\/fediverse.observer\/stats\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Fediverse Observer<\/a>) and is poised for rapid expansion, also thanks to the recent launch of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.threads.net\/login\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><mark class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-purple-color\">Threads<\/mark><\/a> &#8211; Meta&#8217;s app, which, among other things, has announced its intention to soon join the <mark class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-purple-color\">Fediverse<\/mark>, thus introducing millions of people to this new vision of <strong>social media<\/strong>.<br>To simplify, from a practical point of view, the <mark class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-purple-color\">Fediverse<\/mark> works similarly to emails. Each user has the ability to create their own identity on one of the many available servers (similar to when we choose to register with Gmail or Outlook) and then easily communicate with other registered <strong>users<\/strong> on the same or other servers. <br>This happens because the software running on the instances supports one or more open-source communication protocols, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/activitypub\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><mark class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-purple-color\">ActivityPub<\/mark><\/a>. (<a href=\"http:\/\/fediverse.info\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">fediverse.info<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among the most adopted protocols, we find <mark class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-purple-color\">ActivityPub<\/mark> &#8211; used by <mark class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-purple-color\">Mastodon<\/mark> itself &#8211; whose task is to enable both server-to-server communication among the various instances that make up the federation and to offer a client-to-server interface to allow interaction among <strong>users<\/strong>. <mark class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-purple-color\">Mastodon<\/mark> is not the only social network to have adopted this protocol. We can indeed find other social network services like <a href=\"https:\/\/pixelfed.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><mark class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-purple-color\">Pixelfed<\/mark><\/a> (similar to Instagram) and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.apple.com\/it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><mark class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-purple-color\">PeerTube<\/mark><\/a> (similar to the better-known YouTube). Among the platforms capable of interoperating with networks linked to ActivityPub, we also find <a href=\"https:\/\/www.minds.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><mark class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-purple-color\">Minds<\/mark><\/a>. The latter stands out for allowing its <strong>users<\/strong> to earn tokens (called <a href=\"https:\/\/coinmarketcap.com\/it\/currencies\/minds\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">MINDS<\/a>) by creating and sharing valuable content with the community. A fundamental theme for the functioning and sustainability of the so-called Creator Economy. (<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.buzzoole.com\/it\/influencer-marketing-creator\/opportunita-monetizzazione-social-media\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Buzzoole<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before concluding this brief analysis of the most well-known and interested <strong>decentralized social networks<\/strong>, it is certainly worth mentioning <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><mark class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-purple-color\">BlueSky<\/mark><\/a> as well.<br>It is a project born at the behest of Jack Dorsey (founder of Twitter) and based on the <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><mark class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-purple-color\">AT Protocol<\/mark><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/atproto.com\/guides\/overview\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> <\/a>&#8211; a federated protocol built by <mark class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-purple-color\">BlueSky<\/mark> itself &#8211; to offer greater account portability. (<a href=\"https:\/\/atproto.com\/guides\/overview\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">AT Protocol<\/a>) Currently, the platform boasts about 2 million <strong>users<\/strong> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.it\/article\/bluesky-alternativa-x-crescita-utenti\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Wired<\/a>) despite being available on iOS and Android only since April 2023 and that an invitation from one of the already active members is still required to access it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If it is true that there are indeed so many innovative services on this front, a question may naturally arise at this point: why do we hear so little about them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Personally, I believe that the reasons are multiple and that the widespread adoption of these new technologies is not without challenges. The current maturity of these projects, combined with their technical complexity and the natural resistance to change from leading platforms and average <strong>users<\/strong>, imposes moderate expectations regarding their spread. Moreover, there are still many doubts that our society raises regarding the issue of misinformation and the management of sensitive content, which find easy space in <strong>decentralized social networks<\/strong> and often lack complex content moderation mechanisms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the other hand, this does not make these initiatives any less interesting or promising, and the great interest shown by Zuckerberg and Dorsey in this type of innovation may perhaps be enough to make us understand how decentralization could, with good probability, represent one of the cornerstones of the next era of <strong>social media<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whatever personal opinion each of us may have regarding these individual projects, I like to think that their beauty lies precisely in their diversity and in the fact that they are all, or almost all, very recent and in full experimentation phase. The ambitions of those working on these networks and protocols are significant, as are the potential impacts they could bring to how we interact, inform ourselves, and share information online. Will we be ready to embrace this change?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right wp-block-paragraph\">Nicola Zanata<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Decentralisation: Zuckerberg and Dorsey aim for social media innovation by introducing decentralised social networks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":253,"featured_media":18131,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"subtitle":"","format":"standard","video":"","gallery":"","source_name":"","source_url":"","via_name":"","via_url":"","override_template":"0","override":[{"template":"2","single_blog_custom":"","parallax":"1","fullscreen":"0","layout":"right-sidebar","sidebar":"default-sidebar","second_sidebar":"default-sidebar","sticky_sidebar":"1","share_position":"float","share_float_style":"share-normal","show_share_counter":"1","show_view_counter":"1","show_featured":"1","show_post_meta":"1","show_post_author":"1","show_post_author_image":"1","show_post_date":"1","post_date_format":"default","post_date_format_custom":"Y\/m\/d","show_post_category":"1","show_post_reading_time":"1","post_reading_time_wpm":"300","show_zoom_button":"1","zoom_button_out_step":"2","zoom_button_in_step":"3","show_post_tag":"1","show_prev_next_post":"0","show_popup_post":"1","number_popup_post":"1","show_author_box":"1","show_post_related":"1","show_inline_post_related":"0"}],"override_image_size":"0","image_override":[{"single_post_thumbnail_size":"no-crop","single_post_gallery_size":"crop-715"}],"trending_post":"0","trending_post_position":"meta","trending_post_label":"Trending","sponsored_post":"0","sponsored_post_label":"Sponsored by","sponsored_post_name":"","sponsored_post_url":"","sponsored_post_logo_enable":"0","sponsored_post_logo":"","sponsored_post_desc":"","disable_ad":"0"},"jnews_primary_category":{"id":"","hide":""},"jnews_social_meta":{"fb_title":"","fb_description":"","fb_image":"","twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":""},"footnotes":""},"categories":[525,683],"tags":[794,170,906,798,183],"coauthors":[1134],"class_list":["post-18115","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-real-applications-en","category-tech-en","tag-ai-eng","tag-blockchain-en","tag-blog-en","tag-businesses","tag-pos-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/affidaty.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18115","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/affidaty.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/affidaty.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/affidaty.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/253"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/affidaty.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18115"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/affidaty.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18115\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/affidaty.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18131"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/affidaty.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18115"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/affidaty.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18115"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/affidaty.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18115"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/affidaty.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=18115"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}