Because the goal is, in effect, to grow a bigger pie for this kind of service, I think Meta would be wise to think about how to help build an ecosystem of interoperable tools and services. Assuming Threads takes off, ActivityPub will be the way social networks interoperate for at least the next decade and the majority of ActivityPub profiles will be Meta-hosted.
Threads will also let you follow discussions on Mastodon and potentially other services that adopt ActivityPub. Tumblr and WordPress, which share a parent company, have both said they will support publishing on the protocol. In a year or two, then, you might read WordPress blog posts in Threads — or read Threads posts in your favorite Mastodon client.
It’s an almost unthinkable reversal from Meta’s extremely lucrative walled-garden strategy
ActivityPub federation isn’t supported yet but is forthcoming. Instagram chief Adam Mosseri posted:
We’re committed to building support for ActivityPub, the protocol behind Mastodon, into this app. We weren’t able to finish it for launch given a number of complications that come along with a decentralized network, but it’s coming.If you’re wondering why this matters, here’s a reason: you may one day end up leaving Threads, or, hopefully not, end up de-platformed. If that ever happens, you should be able to take your audience with you to another server. Being open can enable that.
Interesting (and much needed) turn of events. 🤞 that Meta will actually really embrace Activity Pub and the open protocols approach.
