content/blog/2021-01-04-fediverse.org

  1#+date:        <2021-01-04 Mon 00:00:00>
  2#+title:       Fediverse: User Manual for Decentralized Social Networking Systems
  3#+description: Detailed introduction to the Fediverse network architecture, user registration procedures, platform navigation, and protocols ensuring content decentralization and censorship resistance.
  4#+slug:        fediverse
  5#+filetags:    :fediverse:social-network:decentralization:
  6
  7* What is the Fediverse?
  8
  9The fediverse is a federated universe of servers commonly used for
 10sharing content, like social media. So, instead of having to rely on a
 11single organization to run the server (e.g. Facebook), the fediverse is
 12a giant collection of servers across the world, owned by many people and
 13organizations.
 14
 15Take a look at this depiction of a federated network. Each server in
 16this photo is owned and run by different administrators/owners.
 17Federated networks are best explained as email servers: you have an
 18email account that exists on a server (e.g. Outlook), your friend has an
 19account on a different server (e.g. GMail), and another friend has an
 20account on a third server (e.g. ProtonMail). All three of you can talk
 21and communicate back and forth without having to be on the same server.
 22However, responsible email admins are there to set rules and control the
 23traffic going in/out of the server.
 24
 25The main objective of this architecture is to decentralize the control
 26within the internet connections. For example, if you run your own
 27Mastodon instance, you and your users can't be censored or impacted in
 28any way by authorities of another Mastodon instance. Some users have
 29praised these features due to recent criticism of popular social media
 30websites that may be over-censoring their users.
 31
 32This strategy is great for making sure control of the social web isn't
 33controlled by a single organization, but it also has some downsides. If
 34I create a Mastodon instance and get a ton of users to sign up, I can
 35shut the server down at any time. That means you're at risk of losing
 36the content you've created unless you back it up, or the server backs it
 37up for you. Also, depending on the software used (e.g. Mastodon,
 38Pixelfed, etc.), censorship may still be an issue if the server admins
 39decide they want to censor their users. Now, censorship isn't always a
 40bad thing and can even benefit the community as a whole, but you'll want
 41to determine which servers align with your idea of proper censorship.
 42
 43However, these are risks that we take when we sign up for any online
 44platform. Whatever your reason is for trying out federated social
 45networks, they are part of the future of the internet. However, the
 46popularity of these services is still yet to be determined, especially
 47with the increased difficulty understanding and signing up for these
 48platforms. Perhaps increased regulation and litigation against current
 49social media sites will push more users into the fediverse.
 50
 51* Federated Alternatives to Popular Sites
 52
 53The list below is a small guide that will show you federated
 54alternatives to current popular websites. There are many more out there,
 55so go and explore: you might just find the perfect home.
 56
 57** Reddit
 58
 59- [[https://lemmy.ml/instances][Lemmy]]
 60
 61** Twitter/Facebook/Tumblr
 62
 63- [[https://joinmastodon.org][Mastodon]]
 64- [[https://diasporafoundation.org][Diaspora]]
 65- [[https://friendi.ca][Friendica]]
 66- [[https://gnusocial.network][GNU Social]]
 67- [[https://pleroma.social][Pleroma]]
 68
 69** Instagram
 70
 71- [[https://pixelfed.org][Pixelfed]]
 72
 73** Slack/Discord
 74
 75- [[https://element.io][Matrix]]
 76
 77** Youtube/Vimeo
 78
 79- [[https://joinpeertube.org][Peertube]]
 80
 81** Spotify/Soundcloud
 82
 83- [[https://funkwhale.audio][Funkwhale]]
 84
 85** Podcasting
 86
 87- [[https://pubcast.pub][Pubcast]]
 88
 89** Medium/Blogger
 90
 91- [[https://writefreely.org][WriteFreely]]
 92
 93* Get Started
 94
 95The best way to get started is to simply sign up and learn as you go. If
 96you're comfortable signing up through a Mastodon, Pleroma, or Friendica
 97server, here is [[https://fediverse.party/en/portal/servers][a list of
 98themed servers]] to choose from. If you're looking for something else,
 99try a web search for a federated alternative to your favorite sites.
100
101Find a server that focuses on your passions and start there!