After the exploit of Mastodon in the United States and the recent launch of Bluesky, Meta is also thinking about launching a new decentralized social network. This was reported by Engadget (which cites MoneyControl and Platformer as sources), according to which the group of Mark Zuckerberg would be working on a new project called P92. This is obviously a code name that will presumably be changed if the social network were to be launched.
What exactly is decentralized social?
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Unlike the popular platforms we all know (such as Twitter, Facebook or Instagram), a decentralized social network does not host all users on the same server. A good example is Mastodon: subscribers can choose which servers to “subscribe” tointeracting only with the circle belonging to that same group of users.
Just yesterday we told you in depth about Bluesky, the new social network launched by Jack Dorsey, co-founder and former CEO of Twitter. Bluesky is another example of decentralized social and, like Mastodon, is protocol-based ActivityPub.
Meta ready to launch a new social network based on ActivityPub
Engadget tells us that it does ActivityPub is also the protocol chosen by Meta for P92. Meta has already confirmed that a decentralized text-based social network is in the works, in an official statement:
“We are studying an autonomous decentralized social network for sharing text messages,” the company said. “We believe this is an important opportunity to create a space where creators and public figures can share timely updates about their interests.”
MoneyControl explains that users will be able to access P92 quickly, through their Instagram account. Since the app will be decentralized, users will be able to configure their own servers and set their own rules for content moderation.
At the moment not much else is known about the project and it is not clear whether Meta will decide to implement Premium features through a monthly subscription. What is certain is that big techs see decentralized social media as the platforms of the futurethanks also to the incredible success of Mastodon, which has gathered all the users exiled from Twitter after the acquisition of Elon Musk at the end of last year.