Twitter funding decentralized social media standard
Twitter is funding BlueSky to develop a decentralized standard for social media. Ultimately Twitter would become a client of this standard. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey announced these plans on Wednesday on Twitter. The rise of blockchain technology has become the basis for this new decentralized approach to social media.
BlueSky consists out of five people, and will work with blockchain startups or create its own platform. These are the only instructions BlueSky is getting from Twitter Inc. According to the Twitter CEO building the decentralized social media standard might take a few years, but the company will keep supporting BlueSky until it’s done and beyond.
Dorsey’s reason to fund an independent team lays within the changes of the internet. Elements like centralized enforcement, fake news, abuse, are impossible to properly deal with. In addition social media have shifted from content hosting to recommendation and directing attention. In line with his, modern social media focus too much on controversy and outrage rather then conversation and good health.
Dorsey launched Twitter thirteen years ago, and the platform is still very popular. There are 330 million users active on the platform, while 42 percent use the platform every day.
Blockchain and social media
Twitter’s commitment to build a decentralized standard for social media is noble. Before we see the results from BlueSky, we’ll be a couple of years into the future. At the moment there are several blockchain startups working on decentralized social media. BitTube has the Bittubers.com platform, while Block.One is launching a beta version of Voice.com on the EOS blockchain in 2020.
Decentralized network are likely to replace centralized ones in the next ten years. Messaging applications are using decentralization to become more private, avoiding the all seeing eye from the government. At the same time mobile phone operators are keeping their eyes on blockchain technology, because the tech could change their business forever.
Originally published at NEDEROB.
