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Meta is planning to launch a new social network
Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, plans to launch a new social media platform dedicated to text posts to capitalise on the tumultuous ownership of Elon Musk's Twitter.
Menlo Park, CA, USA - : Meta Headquarters, corporate campus in Menlo Park, California.
Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, plans to launch a new social media platform dedicated to text posts to capitalise on the tumultuous ownership of Elon Musk’s Twitter.
This text-based social network looks like it will be similar to the other decentralised platforms that gained significant traction after Elon Musk’s takeover.
“We’re exploring a standalone decentralised social network for sharing text updates as we believe there’s an opportunity for a separate space where creators and public figures can share timely updates about their interests.” a Meta statement said.
The recently-announced app is said to be Instagram-branded and will let users log in with their existing accounts; however, operating differently from Instagram itself.
ActivityPub, a decentralised social networking protocol, will be supported at its core. This is the same protocol used by Twitter competitors such as Mastodon.
What does decentralised mean?
Decentralised means things are spread out among different parts or locations. It refers to a system that is not controlled by just one source but has multiple points of authority, each playing its role in the larger structure.
Platforms touting their “decentralised” nature bring us back to a former epoch of the internet, where the major technology firms had lesser dominion over the websites people accessed.
Facebook and Twitter, for instance, are overseen by a single entity – they are the only ones who can decide what is acceptable to share on the platform.
Mastodon and other alternatives to Twitter that have achieved recognition lately comprise numerous autonomous networks or servers that come together to form one entity.
These could be managed by various people or entities, each with its own regulations and procedures.
Do we need another Twitter?
This is the question that many are now asking.
At the end of last year, as users grew dissatisfied with Musk’s approach, they contemplated leaving Twitter, a trend that generated a dramatic rise in interest in alternative social media platforms. But despite experts predicting a dramatic user migration, the increase in Mastodon users has not occurred as envisaged.
Meta faces an uphill battle with its new platform, especially since the organisation’s trustworthiness has recently faced a setback due to user security scandals and antipathy towards Mark Zuckerberg’s metaverse approach.
Time will tell, as always.
