What is a Decentralized Social Network and How Valuable is it?

Similar to cryptocurrencies, social networks that are based on blockchain technology and run-on independent servers rather than central servers owned and operated by businesses or organizations can be described as decentralized. No phone number or email address is required to use the blockchain. Their technology enables peer-to-peer interactions instead of mediated private platforms. Users can meet, flirt, chat and share in their community forums. This structure enables democratic processes between users or communities and is managed independently of intermediaries. They are powered by distributed ledger technologies, where activities on the platform are recorded on the decentralized protocol and user data is stored on a blockchain and cannot be removed by any central authority like in the case of Facebook. Decentralized platforms use technology that eliminates unnecessary points in the platform's technical infrastructure. Exchanges and other resources on various networks (modules, servers) do not communicate and function in one central location. The decentralized social networking platform is based on the concept of decentralization as a corporate-owned platform. Many of them are free and come with open-source code. This means that you have access to how the algorithm works. In other words, you know exactly why you're seeing the content that's showing in your feed. You have control over how the algorithm will work for you. Wouldn't that be liberating?

Diaspora, Mastodon, Dtube, Publish0x, SteemIt and other decentralized social networks have the power to make their companies obsolete. It's not easy but not impossible either. Publish0x and SteemIt is a good initiative but still a long way to go. You'll never find features (likes, chats, pages, groups etc) on Publish0x and SteemIt. But on the other hand, Steemit has an interface similar to Reddit with a tinge of Medium to it. It still lags when compared to Facebook or other centralized social networks.

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The Rise of Decentralized Social Networks

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Image: Feepik_by rawpixel_Global-Connections Decentralized social networks are gaining popularity with the rise of cryptocurrencies and NFTs. They are not new; they are just unpopular. Some of them have been around for more than a decade, such as the Diaspora, which began in 2010. In comparison, Facebook debuted in 2006, just four years before Diaspora. The idea is to go back to the good old days of the Internet in the early 90's, commonly known as Web 1.0 (as you know, we are living in Web 2.0 at this time). Users can publish content directly to user-friendly decentralized sites, bypassing corporate intermediaries and intended approaches. Anyone can create and run their own version of the ideal on one platform. This is what decentralized social networks do with the concept of "free will." There is no central authority (person, server, or company) that dictates the rules. The best thing is that they give creators the opportunity to monetize their work and earn tokens tha
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Do We Need to Regulate 'The Freedom'?

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Freepik: rawpixel-woman-chatting-her-smartphone The false rumors contributed to the spread of anxiety. The spread of misinformation and irresponsible content on social media platforms has led many to believe that these platforms need to be more tightly regulated. Negativity is a goal for social network firms since it is suitable for income flow. Negativity sells on social media because it draws users' attention more than positive content and keeps them scrolling on their devices. The algorithms boost negative content while stifling positive content. That means users are not satisfied with how big businesses are handling the risks of misinformation and censorship, privacy, political neutrality, user control, and malicious activity on social networks. The purpose of this business strategy is to dissuade people from posting harmful information on social media networks. These concerns have led to the consolidation of social networks. Deleting objectionable user-generated content is usu
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