cmc/cleberg.net

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