What to know about Threads
blog.joinmastodon.org
There’s been a lot of speculation around what Threads will be and what it means for Mastodon. We’ve put together some of the most common questions and our responses based on what was launched today.

There’s been a lot of speculation around what Threads will be and what it means for Mastodon. We’ve put together some of the most common questions and our responses based on what was launched today.

  • Sinnerman
    22•1 year ago

    Will Meta embrace-extend-extinguish the ActivityPub protocol?

    There are comparisons to be made between Meta adopting ActivityPub for its new social media platform and Meta adopting XMPP for its Messenger service a decade ago. There was a time when users of Facebook and users of Google Talk were able to chat with each other and with people from self-hosted XMPP servers, before each platform was locked down into the silos we know today. What would stop that from repeating? Well, even if Threads abandoned ActivityPub down the line, where we would end up is exactly where we are now.

    Yes, 5 years from now when Threads abandons ActivityPub, you will be 5 years behind Threads. That is not a good outcome.

    XMPP did not exist on its own outside of nerd circles, while ActivityPub enjoys the support and brand recognition of Mastodon.

    Mastodon is not exactly a household name.

    I really hope for the best. And it’s not like anyone can stop Meta from making Threads and enabling ActivityPub. But this reasoning is not very convincing.

    • nostalgicgamerz
      6•1 year ago

      large instances like Mastedon and Lemmy.world can defederate…Mastedon already sold out so this could already be a lost cause. If they had any fucking decency they would have refused to work with them in any capacity

    • Uprise42
      3•1 year ago

      I don’t feel like this is a 1-1 comparison with the XMPP issue.

      With XMPP users joined servers and then Google started working with the protocol allowing those users contact books to increase by hundreds overnight. Then when Google dropped, many people built work connections through those chats and still wanted to talk so they migrated to Google as it was the simpler platform.

      But fediverse isn’t about talking to individuals for the most part. Mastadon gets the closest, but even then it’s about following updates and quickly getting ideas out to large groups, not the 1-1 communication of a chat. Fediverse is mostly about talking in communities. When threads defederates after getting a bunch of users, those users will lose entire communities instead of just a couple individuals that can switch platforms. And asking a community of hundreds to move to your preferred social isn’t how it works. People go towards communities, not companies. When threads defederates (which will happen) they will lose members, many communities will drop in membership, but I think the fediverse will be in the same spot after that it would be in if threads never existed. Not the same as today. But if we ignore threads and try to project the growth out 5 years. That’s where I think we’ll be if threads defederates in 5 years.

    • Itty53
      1•1 year ago

      I have hope because this whole issue is widespread and known. Takes the wind out of their sails.

    • V6277
      1•1 year ago

      Mastodon can be a household name when Threads users question why people have an @user username and are introduced to a platform with no ads. They’re gonna complain eventually, and they will find comments mocking them for using Threads.