Image Credits: techcrunch
If a social media phenomenon is gaining any sort of popularity, Meta will try and jump in. We’ve seen companies copy a variety of formats from Stories to short videos after seeing the success of other platforms. Now, the Mark Zuckerberg-led company is working on a decentralized text-based app.
Meta confirmed the development in a statement but did not provide details on when it plans to release the app.
“We have been exploring a standalone decentralized social network for sharing text updates. We believe there is an opportunity for a differentiated space where creators and public figures can share their interests in a timely manner,” said a Meta spokesperson. Can share updates.
This new decentralized app, codenamed P92, is still under development – as first reported by Moneycontrol. As per the documents seen by the publication, the app will let users log-in through their Instagram credentials. This might bother people who don’t want to share that data with another meta app.
A report in Platformer states that the project will be overseen by Instagram head Adam Mosseri. The report adds that the company is already involving the legal department to address initial privacy concerns before the app goes public.
The move by Meta is being seen as an attempt to create an alternative to Twitter or a competitor to Mastodon. The latter gained popularity after Elon Musk joined Twitter. The decentralized network is part of the Fediverse – a network of decentralized servers – that support the ActivityPub protocol. According to Moneycontrol, Meta’s new app also plans to support ActivityPub, making it easier to connect to other instances like Mastodon.
There are many other tools that have implemented (or are planning to implement) ActivityPub support, including Tumblr, Flipboard, and Flickr.
But decentralization is not limited to this protocol. Jack Dorsey-backed BlueSky launched its iOS app in beta last week. And messaging apps such as Rocket.chat have adopted the Matrix protocol.
However, former Twitter engineer Blaine Cook told TechCrunch last year that the existence of competing protocols is a good thing.
“I think the diversity of protocols is important, as is the diversity of applications built on top of the protocols. That said, I firmly believe that interoperability between ActivityPub and BlueSky will not be difficult. For example, Twitter and Facebook’s The only thing preventing interoperability between timelines has been the protectionist policies of those companies,” he said.
It’s important to remember that Meta has tried to create new apps and experiences that haven’t always taken off. Over the past few years, it has spun off experiments like anonymous teen app tbh, cameo-like app Super, Nextdoor clone Neighborhoods, couples app Tuned, student-focused social network Campus, video speed dating service Sparked, and TikTok clone Lasso. some names. So it would not be surprising if the new decentralized experience takes off within a few years after launch.