What if we could have an ad-free and private version of Twitter?
Sounds interesting? Let’s discuss.
Decentralized Social Media
Before getting to the platform itself, let’s first talk about Decentralized Social Media. It can help you to understand the idea behind decentralization and its importance better.
It’s not a secret that tech giants gain most of their revenue from ads. They use our data to deliver those ads to the right audience, and they improve their services using our FREE data to attract more customers.
Simply put, more Data they collect, more Revenue they make.
So, data is money and we are the owner of our own data. We get to choose to share it or not, to sell it or not. And this is where decentralization comes in.
Unlike Facebook or Twitter, Decentralized Social Media platforms are not owned or controlled by a single entity or company. The users control the platform, although the governance methods may vary from one platform to another. We control our own data (more privacy), and we don’t have to tolerate the ads (no more ad-blockers!)
Now that you know decentralized social media better, let’s take a look at one of these platforms: Mastodon.
Mastodon
Mastodon is the decentralized version of Twitter. It allows you to post tweets up to 500 characters or share your videos and photos. But how does it work without a BOSS?
Well, Mastodon has Instances. Each Instance has its own rules and you can join Instances that suit your needs. Users of each Instance set the rules for that specific Instance. So the misbehaved users can be punished based on the rules they agreed upon themselves.
Mastodon doesn’t sell your data for its own profit. Instead, most Instances try crowdfunding as a way to finance their operations.
You can choose your Instance from Instances.social. It asks you a few questions and then recommends a list of the most suitable Instances.
Mastodon, Decentralization, and Blockchain
Mastodon is NOT blockchain-based. It’s important to remember that blockchain allows us to build decentralized systems and all decentralized systems are not necessarily blockchain-based.
There is some controversy about Mastodon model and how decentralized it is. In my opinion, Mastodon may have its own flaws but it’s a good start. There is always room for improvement and that is the beauty of technology!