One of the most important issues with Facebook is the centralization of users’ data from around thte world between the hands of a single, private company.
Can we fix this without locking ourselves out of social life?
Here’s a promising concept: federation.
What is a “federation?”
One of the main advantages of “decentralized” social networks is their ability to communicate between them, thanks to shared protocols. The network of these different platforms is called a “federation.”
Email offers a great example: Alice (alice@here.net) and Bob (bob@elsewhere.net) each own an address on a different domain, but they can still send messages to each other. Decentralized social networks work in a similar way.
This also allows for closer communities, building relationships around common topics, and makes banning trolls an easier task.
Welcome to the federated universe: the Fediverse!
A few decentralized social networks
Pick a philosophy, join a server or an instance, and kick start your new relationships!