From Mastodon to Meta Threads: Diving Into the “Fediverse”

Picture this: You’re doom-scrolling on Instagram and halfway through realize that most of the posts you’re enjoying are funny clips from TikTok, clever memes from Tumblr, hot takes from Twitter, or entire Reddit threads turned into reels. Now imagine a hub where instead of seeing screenshots from other platforms, you could simply access the content directly. Where you could take your followers from one platform seamlessly to another.  This is the Fediverse — a “decentralized social web” where thousands of independent social media platforms can talk to each other. For the user, this feels like a single, unified service, while actually being a vibrant tapestry of diverse, self-regulated platforms.  

Under the umbrella of the Fediverse, social media platforms do not exist in silos.

Although the concept has been around for over a decade now, Meta’s recent launch of Instagram Threads has brought the spotlight back to it. Why? Because Zuckerberg plans for Threads to join the Fediverse, to enable users to “communicate with people on other Fediverse platforms” that Meta does not own or control. Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri announced on Threads, “We’re committed to building support for ActivityPub, the protocol behind Mastodon, into this app. We weren’t able to finish it for launch given a number of complications that come along with a decentralized network, but it’s coming.“ 

A Decade in the Making: Understanding the Fediverse

Consider how emails work. You don’t have to think twice about sending out an email from your Gmail ID to a Yahoo ID. You can interact with anyone across servers, as long as they have a valid email address. The Fediverse follows this model for social platforms. It’s a constellation of independent social media sites, with each maintaining their autonomy yet interconnecting to exchange content.  

The concept of the Fediverse, a portmanteau combining “federation” and “universe,” first saw the light of day in 2008 with the launch of identi.ca. This was a microblogging platform where anyone could create their own identi.ca server and users could follow each other across different servers (a.k.a. instances). In the context of Fediverse, servers and instances are interchangeable terms and refer to the sites you can register on within the Fediverse. 

In 2016, this new, unique, and somewhat perplexing model of decentralized social media gained a new round of attention, with the launch of Mastodon — a more feature-rich microblogging platform that has since become the poster child of the Fediverse. Despite this, the idea of decentralized social media remained relatively obscure. For example, while Mastodon had been positioned as a replacement for Twitter, it did not become a veritable competition.  

Until 2023 — the year of the most rapid, head-spinning leaps in technology. 

In the aftermath of Elon Musk’s Twitter fiasco and the overall disillusionment with traditional social media, the Fediverse is gathering momentum. Case in point, most emerging Twitter-like platforms are based on the “decentralized model.” Under the umbrella of the Fediverse, social media platforms do not exist in silos. Numerous platforms use a standard foundational program or protocol, which are the threads tying the Fediverse together.  

A protocol is a set of rules that define how two or more entities communicate with each other. In the context of the Fediverse, it allows users to share content and interact with each other across different instances owned or run by different entities. Without protocols, the Fediverse would not be able to function as a decentralized social networking platform. Several protocols are used on the Fediverse, but the two main ones are ActivityPub and OStatus. Increasingly, most servers are adopting ActivityPub to ensure better interoperability. That is the essence of the Fediverse concept — a move away from the segregated mode of operation. 

Further Down the Rabbit Hole: Upsides & Downsides

What makes the Fediverse so appealing is that at the heart of the concept is not a single company or conglomerate but a community. It embodies a unique amalgamation of decentralized, privacy-focused social networks, free from ads and community-owned. Unlike the monolithic structure of conventional social media platforms, the instances on the Fediverse are both independent and interconnected. 

For end users, some key advantages of the Fediverse include: 

1. Decentralization and Privacy: The Fediverse is made up of decentralized, ad-free social networks that prioritize privacy, with each instance being owned by a community. Privacy and moderation policies are decided by individual instance administrators.
2. Flexible, Customizable User Experience: Each instance has its own set of rules, leading to a unique user experience and fostering distinct communities. You can switch instances and even run your own. You can choose an instance that aligns with your values, interests, and privacy expectations. If you decide to leave a server, you can take all your connections with you. If a server goes offline, you can easily find a new home.
3. No Ad-Driven Algorithms: The use of RSS feeds prevents the creation of ad-driven algorithms. Instead of one overarching algorithm deciding what content you see, each server has its own rules and community norms, creating a more diverse and inclusive social media environment.
4. Growing User Base: The Fediverse has started to gather momentum, attracting more users and reaching a critical mass. Recent migrations from other popular platforms have given it a significant boost.

Despite the numerous benefits, the Fediverse isn’t without challenges. In fact, the very concept of the Fediverse — from signing up to adding accounts — may not feel intuitive for new users, and the sheer variety of choices can be a bit daunting. Some core issues that might stymie the switch adoption among traditional social media issuers include: 

1. Performance Issues: As more users join, instances may face load management problems leading to slower load times, network delays, or server crashes. These could hamper the user experience.
2. Security Concerns: Although the Fediverse champions openness and interconnectivity, this could potentially create security challenges. The lack of centralized control could lead to user data being misused or compromised.
3. Discoverability Issues: Due to its decentralized nature, the Fediverse does not have a universal search or recommendation system like centralized platforms. This might make it challenging for users to discover new content, influential accounts, or individuals they might know from other platforms.

What the Future Holds

Fediverse is growing steadily, offering a fresh, more democratic social media experience to users worldwide. Meta throwing its hat into the ring has breathed new life into it. With Threads becoming the fastest-growing social media platform in history, gathering 10 million sign-ups in less than seven hours after it was launched, its shift to Fediverse will initiate millions of users into this brave new world. 

However, it will serve us well to remember that the tussle between centralization and decentralization is very much cyclical. Often when a model of centralization collapses to give way to democratic decentralization, the respite is short lived. Fediverse is still nascent, but it is likely that wealthy investors will step in once it reaches critical mass, to commission new marketplaces and usher in another wave of centralization. Until then, for those of us who appreciate privacy, autonomy, diversity, and community, Fediverse is the new frontier to explore.

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Written By: Ateendriya