Instagram and Threads Join Decentralized Network Fediverse in Strategic Move by Meta
Summary:
Meta's Instagram and Threads have joined the Fediverse, a federation of decentralized social networks allowing users from different platforms to interact. This move is part of Meta's commitment to privacy and decentralization. The addition of Instagram and Threads may boost user activity in the Fediverse, with users continuing to move away from centralized platforms. The announcement could also serve as a counter move to Twitter under Elon Musk's ownership, which is pushing towards more centrality.
Instagram and Threads, both owned by Meta, have recently been added to the collection of social networks known as the Fediverse. This network essentially comprises various standalone platforms, permitting their individual users to interact with each other. Some experts are speculating on the motives for this move, while Meta emphasizes that it's a part of their dedication towards privacy and decentralization, a stance that seems more plausible given the current business scenario.
Threads, a microblogging product of Meta, is where users engage with small pieces of shared content. X, which was known as Twitter prior to its rebranding, was a crucial competitor in this field, boasting around 335 million monthly users in 2024. However, the situation is more complex than it appears. When Elon Musk bought X for $44 billion in October of 2022, it had around 368 million monthly users, indicating a significant loss of around 33 million users or approximately 10% overall. This decrease has been linked to user churn caused by what many see as a polarization of X due to Musk's growing influence. A large number of individuals felt that Musk's purchase of the platform was a victory for free internet speech, while others left X, believing it to be subjected to a right-wing takeover.
Those who left found refuge in Fediverse's decentralized platforms like Mastodon, Pleoroma, and Misskey. Currently, despite the evident diminishing user base, Twitter remains the leading microblogging platform. Both revenues and the user base have been falling annually since Musk's takeover, despite a temporary increase in 2023, which was subsequently erased. Threads, in contrast, can only improve from its current status, with roughly 130 million active monthly users. The recent announcement by Meta about Instagram and Threads joining the Fediverse could be perceived as a strategic move against Elon Musk and Twitter's push towards increased centralization.
Elon Musk, one of the world's wealthiest individuals, has frequently expressed his goal with "X" was to create a comprehensive app catering to communication, media monetization, financial transactions, and personal and professional branding. The Fediverse follows a different mechanism, comprising decentralized protocols that permit unrestricted third-party integration and, as highlighted by Meta in a recent blog post, gives users autonomy over their data.
The Fediverse concept is often analogous to email services. In the same way a Gmail user can email a Yahoo user because they both support the same protocols, Fediverse allows connections between different social media platforms operating on the same protocol. This arrangement helps in eliminating barriers restricting users and their followers to a specific platform. Conversely, unlike email interactions, Fediverse discussions and profiles are public and can be shared across servers.
As users gradually shift away from the centralized "everything app" concept of X proposed by Musk, decentralized platforms like Mastodon offer a unique perspective on microblogging. And importantly, the addition of Instagram and Threads to the Fediverse might usher in a new era of user activity, which is relatively unexplored.
Published At
3/25/2024 8:10:00 PM
Disclaimer: Algoine does not endorse any content or product on this page. Readers should conduct their own research before taking any actions related to the asset, company, or any information in this article and assume full responsibility for their decisions. This article should not be considered as investment advice. Our news is prepared with AI support.
Do you suspect this content may be misleading, incomplete, or inappropriate in any way, requiring modification or removal?
We appreciate your report.