The Fediverse Demystified: Part 1 - An Introduction to Decentralised Social Networks

Over the course of this series, we will go deep into the world of decentralised social networks, explore the underlying tech, and eventually walk through how to build your own fediverse apps to get some hands-on experience. But to start it off, a basic overview and simple explanation of what it is ??

Last year I wrote a mini series of articles about vector databases, mainly because I wanted to learn about them myself. I still get a lot of feedback ???? that this is super useful for people just starting out, or those wanting to get a firmer grip on the very basics of what's going on under the hood with applications of generative AI. If you missed them, and wanted to have a look, go for it:

1. An Introduction to the World of High-Dimensional Data Storage
2. Building Your Own (Very) Simple Vector Database in Python
3. Build a colour matching app with Pinecone
4. Using Sentence Transformers with Pinecone
5. Fine Tuning Your Own Sentence Transformers with Python

The very-simple-vector-database still remains my greatest contribution to GitHub with (checks notes) 11 stars? ?? I thought 5 was the maximum.

AAAANYWAY - I am starting to see similar conversations around "the fediverse" (not sure I like this term ?? ), so I thought I might try and do the same thing here.

What?

If you've signed up to Threads recently, you may have seen this as part of the registration process:

The term "fediverse" (federation + universe) refers to a collection of interconnected servers (also known as instances) used for social networking, microblogging, blogging, or sharing media such as photos or videos. Unlike traditional social networks, which are each controlled by a single company, the fediverse is made up of many independent servers. These servers can communicate with each other, allowing users to interact across different platforms seamlessly.

The Ecosystem: ActivityPub and Its Role

The backbone of the fediverse is the ActivityPub protocol. Standardised by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), ActivityPub is a decentralised social networking protocol that facilitates interoperability between different servers and platforms. It allows users to post content, follow each other, like and share posts, and more, across different platforms that implement the protocol.

The decentralised nature of ActivityPub ensures that users are not beholden to a single service provider, enhancing privacy, reducing censorship, and promoting diversity of thought and content.

Key Players in the Fediverse

The fediverse is populated by a variety of platforms and services, each catering to different needs and interests. Here are some of the key players:

Mastodon

Perhaps the most well-known platform in the fediverse, Mastodon is a microblogging service similar to Twitter/X. It allows users to post "toots," follow others, and engage in conversations, all while being able to interact with users on other ActivityPub-compatible platforms.

Meta: The Fediverse going mainstream via Threads

Meta is probably the most influential player showing interest in the fediverse. They have announced plans to integrate ActivityPub into its new service, Threads. This move by such a large company could significantly impact the adoption and expansion of decentralised social networking, bringing mainstream attention to the fediverse.

Bluesky: an easier-than-Mastodon Independent Decentralised Network

Bluesky Social is an independent initiative focusing on creating a decentralised social networking protocol. While it has historical ties to Twitter/X (Bluesky is co-founded by Jack Dorsey ), it operates independently and aims to develop a protocol that can interoperate with various decentralised networks, potentially including the fediverse.

(Bluesky is not actually using ActivityPub - instead they have built on something called the "AT Protocol")

Governments and Regulators

No list of key players on the internet should be complete without these badgers. National governments and regulatory bodies are increasingly relevant in the context of the fediverse. For example:

- EU Digital Services Act (DSA): The European Union DSA aims to regulate digital services and could impact how decentralised networks operate within the EU, ensuring they meet certain standards of transparency and user protection. More info here via the European Commission

- Government Initiatives: Some governments are exploring decentralised networks to enhance public service communications and data sovereignty. The Dutch government, for example, has its own Mastodon server.

Wrapping up before next time...

So, the fediverse could well represent a significant shift back to a more open, user-centric internet. With the ActivityPub protocol potentially unlocking interaction between different platforms, users can enjoy these platforms without the constraints of centralised control. As this ecosystem continues to grow, it may offer a more diverse, inclusive, and resilient digital space for all.

Stay tuned for the next article in this series, where we will delve deeper into how ActivityPub works and how it's going to help you. Plus, we'll begin our journey of building mini fediverse apps for you to get hands-on experience with the tech.