Friendster and Nostr Show How Decentralization Could Change Social Media
Date: 2024-09-10 Author: Oliver Abernathy Categories: BLOCKCHAIN
Data from Statista shows that YouTube removed more than 3.26 million channels in Q2 2024, highlighting the rise of centralized control over user-generated content on social media.
This trend of censorship has also affected other major platforms like Instagram and TikTok, which are known for frequently blocking user accounts.
The problem of centralized control became even more apparent when French authorities arrested billionaire Telegram founder Pavel Durov on August 24, 2024. Authorities allege that Durov facilitated criminal activity on the Telegram platform. While the outcome of this case is still unknown, it raises concerns about the future of user autonomy on centralized platforms.
In response to these developments, decentralized alternatives like Friendster and Nostr are gaining popularity, showing how social media can be transformed by decentralization.
How Decentralization Is Bringing Friendster Back to Social Media
Friendster, a social network launched in 2002, once allowed users to chat, connect, and collaborate. However, the platform shut down in 2015 due to difficulties retaining its user base.
Now, Mike Carson, CEO of Friendster and founder of Spaces Protocol, is planning a relaunch of the platform using decentralized domain names.
Carson explained to Cryptonews that Spaces Protocol will allow users to create and own domain names on the Bitcoin blockchain, offering a new model compared to traditional centralized registration systems.
“The goal of Spaces Protocol is to remove ICANN registries and registrations from social media,” Carson said. “Spaces Protocol allows users to create names in Bitcoin like traditional domains, but this time, users own those names.”
For example, users can register a top-level domain like “@Bitcoin” and then sell or distribute second-level names under it.
Carson emphasized that with decentralized ownership, “no centralized entity can take that away,” ensuring users have control over their digital identities.
Friendster’s relaunch, scheduled for later this year, will also include cryptocurrency payment integration, allowing users to use these decentralized names for crypto transactions and online domains.
Decentralized Social Networks: Nostr Gives Users More Control
As Friendster prepares for its decentralized relaunch, Nostr, an open-source decentralized social network, is already gaining traction.
Chris Castiglione, founder of Web3 app Console, explained that Nostr gives users complete control over their content, which sets it apart from traditional social networks.
“When you create your first account on Nostr, you generate a username and password that only you control,” Castiglione said. “From day one, you own access to your account and no one else can claim it. All the content you create can be copied and stored multiple times on ‘relays,’ which are small Nostr servers that anyone can run.”
Castiglione added that Nostr is also gaining popularity as a social layer for Bitcoin (BTC), offering features like micropayments and digital identity management.
Users can send tips and rewards in the form of Zaps, small BTC payments over the Lightning Network that directly support content creators. Carson noted that a similar feature will be integrated into the next version of Friendster, expanding the reach of decentralized payments.
Nostr’s ability to host user-owned content without intervention highlights the potential of decentralized social networks to create trustless systems.
“A trustless system requires less personal information and has fewer points of failure,” Castiglione said. “As a result, applications that use trustless principles demonstrate a greater commitment to freedom, autonomy, and digital rights of users.”
Decentralized concepts allow users to own social profiles
Besides Friendster and Nostr, other platforms are also using decentralization to give users control over their social identities.
Matthew Kay, head of operations and strategy at Intuition Systems, told Cryptonews that Intuition allows users to create self-defined identities on the blockchain, giving them control over their profiles and reputations across platforms.
Diego Alvarez, chief strategy officer at Cyber, echoed this sentiment in a conversation with Cryptonews, explaining how decentralized networks give users ownership of their data and content.
“With traditional social media, users’ data is stored on centralized servers, meaning platforms can censor or remove users at their discretion,” Alvarez said. “With decentralized networks, users control their content, data, and identity.”
