Intro

ActivityPub is back in the news, thanks to Meta’s Threads launch and Elon’s continued immolation of Twitter — now X. That makes this the perfect time to dig into the Decoder archives to hear what Mastodon CEO Eugen Rochko thinks about the future of social media. Mastodon got a head start as the most well-known of the rising decentralized social networks, but that’s changing fast. Bluesky, on a competing protocol, is picking up steam and Threads promises to decentralize in the future, using the same ActivityPub protocol as Mastodon. That’s a big deal, with big potential.

Verge Editor-at-Large David Pierce has been covering all this very closely. Before we jump into the interview with Rochko, I spoke with David to help update everyone on what ActivityPub even is, and what it could mean for the future of social media.

Links:

More than two million users have flocked to Mastodon since Elon Musk took over Twitter - The Verge 

A beginner’s guide to Mastodon, the hot new open-source Twitter clone - The Verge

Elon Musk - The Verge

Benevolent dictator for life - Wikipedia

Mastodon Social

Eugen Rochko (@Gargron@mastodon.social)   

Erase browser history: can AI reset the browser battle? - The Verge   

Twitter alternatives for the Musk-averse - The Verge

We tried to run a social media site and it was awful | Financial Times

Denial-of-service attack - Wikipedia  

Can ActivityPub save the internet? - The Verge 

Five reasons Threads could still go the distance - The Verge

What's next for Threads - The Verge

Transcript:

https://www.theverge.com/e/23422689 

Credits:

Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.

It was produced by Creighton DeSimone and Jackie McDermott and it was edited by Callie Wright. 

The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Our Editorial Director is Brooke Minters and our Executive Director is Eleanor Donovan.

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