In a groundbreaking move, Threads, Meta's innovative venture into decentralized social networking, is set to redefine the landscape with its integration into the fediverse. This revelation comes from a December meeting at Meta’s offices, where the Threads team engaged with the fediverse community, seeking valuable feedback for their ambitious project.
Tom Coates, co-founder of the decentralized app Planetary, shared insights into this "good faith" effort by the Instagram team. The roadmap for Threads’ fediverse integration begins with a feature launch in December, allowing posts to become visible to Mastodon clients. Meta initiated testing of ActivityPub integration, permitting Threads posts on Mastodon, with select Instagram team members participating.
Threads' next steps include making replies posted on Mastodon servers visible in the Threads application by early 2024. Later in the year, users will enjoy the ability to follow Mastodon accounts within Threads, reply to posts, and express appreciation. However, full interoperability between the two platforms remains to be determined.
Content moderation is a key consideration for Threads as it enters the fediverse. The team emphasizes excluding content that violates rules, even if it originates from the wider fediverse or a banned user on Meta’s platform.
Interestingly, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg envisions Threads as "totally open," possibly anticipating the future of social networking. This move aligns with a broader trend in the tech industry towards decentralized platforms. Flipboard, Automattic, Medium, and Mozilla are among those embracing a federated approach, recognizing it as the future of the web itself.
As Threads progresses into the fediverse, unresolved questions linger—algorithmic feed inclusion of third-party Mastodon content, visual differentiation, and more. The journey to the fediverse is a work in progress, with Meta actively exploring the optimal path.
The tech industry is witnessing a paradigm shift towards decentralization, with Meta leading the way. Threads' move into the fediverse signifies a bold step towards an open, interconnected future for social networking.
