Last month, Meta hosted a private meeting to discuss their integration plans between their new Threads app and the federated social network Mastodon. While Meta’s motives are still unclear, they revealed an ambitious roadmap for interoperability over the next two years.
The Key Takeaways Were:
- Meta aims to have Threads fully blended with Mastodon by late 2024, allowing users to follow each other across apps
- The initial launch entails a one-way flow of Threads content into Mastodon, with gradual reciprocity
- Motivations likely involve retaining influencers, regulatory assurance, or internal initiative
- Scale differs vastly between Mastodon’s 1.5 million users vs. Meta’s 3+ billion, posing risks
- Issues around content moderation, identity systems, education, and algorithms need resolution
Despite uncertainties around ethical implementation, Meta’s teams seem committed to responsible federation. Their presence alone however shakes the landscape. Power dynamics linger with control still in Meta’s hands regarding content removal and user bans.
Smaller instances also worry that instead of empowering users, Meta’s arrival may fracture the commons and dominate the space. Nonetheless, potential benefits exist like drawing in new users and improving content filtering.
The road ahead remains unclear, but the meeting ultimately left some Fediverse representatives cautiously optimistic. They wait to see if Meta can integrate cooperative values with its commercial interests. Either way, this marks a pivotal moment for the decentralized social web.
Image credits: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Brian Solis, www.briansolis.com and bub.blicio.us, CC BY