ActivityPub Four Years Later: The Good, the Bad, and the Fedi

Friday, July 22, 2022: 1:00 pm (DAC 416ABC): ActivityPub celebrated its fourth anniversary as a W3C standard this January. The spec defines protocols which allow anyone to run their own social media server, which can then talk to everyone else's serv...

Friday, July 22, 2022: 1:00 pm (DAC 416ABC): ActivityPub celebrated its fourth anniversary as a W3C standard this January. The spec defines protocols which allow anyone to run their own social media server, which can then talk to everyone else's servers, a technique known as "federated networking." When ActivityPub was first released, many believed it would change social media forever, bringing about the end of monolithic surveillance networks and ushering in an era of democratized local communities. Four years later, while the fediverse plays host to a thriving community and unique culture, it remains a nonentity by the standards of social media giants. Why is this? How has ActivityPub created a constructive and enjoyable social media experience while also failing to bring that experience to a large audience? And what can this tell us about the possibilities and limitations of anarchistic spaces as a whole?

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