Thirty-three minutes of hopefulness for a better internet
Summary
PJ Vogt interviews Evan Prodrom, a key creator of the ActivityPub protocol, about his 15-year effort to build a decentralized social web. They discuss the Fediverse as a borderless digital space, comparing its potential to the historical success of open email standards. Prodrom explains why closed platforms persisted, citing network effects and celebrity lock-in, while highlighting how Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter created a crucial opening for open interoperability. The conversation explores the tension between corporate suspicion and the practical need for major platforms like Thread…
Topics discussed
Introduction: Why this interview was held back
Evan Prodromo's 15-year journey in open social networks
Explaining the Fediverse to non-technical people
The problem of fragmented communities and app-hopping
Metaphors: Borders, checkpoints, and the open web
The 'bar' metaphor: Creating spaces without losing connection
History of email: How open standards beat proprietary systems
Why social media didn't follow email's open path
The 2022 Twitter crisis and the Fediverse resurgence
Evan's return to the W3C and ActivityPub development
Navigating the conflict between anti-corporate sentiment and openness
Coexistence of big platforms and independent networks
Closing thoughts: The risk of a stagnant, corporate-controlled internet
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