Mastodon: @evan@cosocial.ca

The co-author of the ActivityPub protocol, research director at the Social Web Foundation, sometimes called “The Father of the Fediverse,” and author of the first-ever post on the social web in May 2008, delivers a first-principles introduction to the Fediverse.

Social networks are people and their connections. Yet the platforms that host those connections have concentrated power, stripped APIs, and optimized feeds for addiction rather than relationship. Quitting doesn’t work because Metcalfe’s Law keeps you tied to where your friends are; new monolithic alternatives can’t overcome that gravity either. ActivityPub’s answer is meaningful choice: different business models, local ownership, open APIs, and algorithms that serve you, reached by developers building, users participating, media co-publishing, and policymakers mandating interoperability.