The open social web puts control back in your hands. Unlike big social media platforms, it's not run by a single company -- it's made up of independent, connected communities where you decide how and with whom you interact. It respects your privacy, avoids intrusive ads, and gives you the freedom to truly own your online experience. It's like the internet used to be: open, personal, and community-focused.
There are two main emergent social networks on the open social web:
The Fediverse is a co-operative of small communities that all interoperate as one large, cohesive social network. Each community has its own interface, moderation policy, and rules, but anyone on one community can seamlessly follow and share with anyone on any of the other communities. It's more decentralized, which means that the user experience is a little different to what you're probably used to.
The most common Fediverse platform is Mastodon (although Threads is also rapidly joining the network) and the easiest place to get started is by joining mastodon.social.
Bluesky is a social network built on an open social web protocol but largely controlled by one company, Bluesky Social. It's less decentralized than the Fediverse, but some find it easier to use.
It is very reminiscent of early Twitter, with some added innovations designed to help people build up a network of interesting people to follow quickly, build their own bespoke social media algorithms, and block people they don't want to interact with. The result is a very vibrant, contiguous community that's growing very quickly.
The easiest place to get started is by signing up on the Bluesky website.
In a world where platforms like X have devalued outgoing links and often skewed their algorithms towards particular points of view, the open social web is a breath of fresh air. Links are celebrated, not suppressed, which means journalists can promote their work. open social web platforms default to just showing you the posts and reshares by people you subscribe to in reverse-chronological order, rather than skewing your feed.
Because no single company owns the open social web, it's not subject to the whims of an owner. There's no single platform that can be sold to Elon Musk or rapidly pivot in order to try and increase its total market capitalization. It simply exists to allow people to follow and share with each other.
This has attracted some of the most engaged people on the internet. Users on the open social web are more likely to share your work, read it deeply, and donate to support you.
Because the open social web has no owner and isn't proprietary, you don't need to ask for anyone's permission to build on top of it. You can build any kind of social tool on top of its open protocols, and nobody can stop you, or charge you for the privilege. This also means that journalists and researchers can examine social networking data to their heart's content, for example to study trends and dynamics between communities.
Anyone can build an app. There are already dozens of mobile apps for each open social web platform, for example, as well as tools like Sill that allow you to gain insights from the network in new ways.
A long-standing issue with building new social apps and services is the cold start problem: until people join in large numbers, there's nobody to talk to.
If you build a social app on the open social web, you can connect directly with the existing network. There will instantly be millions upon millions of people for your users to connect with -- and, in turn, those people can more easily learn about your app or service. The open social web improves the experience of your early users and reduces the friction to acquiring new ones, while giving you full freedom to innovate and build new features.
Open social web users are engaged and typically care about social causes. They're more willing to donate than on platforms like X, and there's no algorithmic bias to suppress links or prevent your message from reaching its audience.
On the open social web, you aren't locked into any platform. If the application you're using doesn't work out for whatever reason, you can just use another one. For example, Bluesky's mission talks about enforcing the possibility of a "credible exit": if they ever turn user-hostile or make bad decisions, users should always have the ability to take their profiles, conversations, and content somewhere else, with very little friction, at no cost, and without losing your followers. Account migration is also a feature of Mastodon and inherent to the Fediverse.
This means that there's very little cost to investing in a network. Unlike Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter, where some people lost over a decade's worth of posts and social connections, on the open social web you own it all, and it can come with you if you ever choose to leave.
The open social web offers an exciting opportunity to reclaim control over our online interactions.
Whether you're a writer seeking an engaged audience, a developer building the next big innovation, or an entrepreneur overcoming the cold start problem, the open social web provides the tools and community to make it happen. By embracing these decentralized networks, we can shape an internet that works for everyone -- one that prioritizes privacy, creativity, and authentic connections.
The time to join the open social web is now. Dive in, explore, and help build the future of the internet. No-one can stop you.