“Social media should be built on protocols, not platforms,” Mastodon CEO Eugen Rochko said in an interview for TechCrunch’s Equity podcast. “And people should be able to choose freely between different platforms and also be able to move between them.”
Rochko is advocating here for a more decentralized approach to social media, one that allows users to have more control over their data and their digital lives — and that includes the kinds of content they’re willing to put up with. Recently, he spoke out about Meta’s controversial changes to its content moderation policy, including adjustments to the types of content Meta will allow on its platforms in the name of free speech. To Rochko, much of it is actually hate speech.
Today on Equity, Rebecca Bellan caught up with Rochko to explore what these changes mean for users and how decentralized social media platforms like Mastodon could offer a viable alternative to mainstream giants like Meta and X.
Listen to the full episode to hear more about:
- Mastodon’s choice to transition to a nonprofit in Europe.
- The challenges of implementing interoperability with platforms like Threads and TikTok — which is set to “go dark” in the U.S. over the weekend — and the importance of user choice.
- Which other decentralized platforms we should keep an eye on. (Hint: Pixelfed is in the mix.)
Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod. For the full episode transcript, for those who prefer reading over listening, check out our full archive of episodes here.
Theresa Loconsolo is an audio producer at TechCrunch focusing on Equity, the network’s flagship podcast. Before joining TechCrunch in 2022, she was one of 2 producers at a four-station conglomerate where she wrote, recorded, voiced and edited content, and engineered live performances and interviews from guests like lovelytheband. Theresa is based in New Jersey and holds a bachelors degree in Communication from Monmouth University.
You can contact or verify outreach from Theresa by emailing theresa.loconsolo@techcrunch.com.
Rebecca Bellan is a senior reporter at TechCrunch where she covers the business, policy, and emerging trends shaping artificial intelligence. Her work has also appeared in Forbes, Bloomberg, The Atlantic, The Daily Beast, and other publications.
You can contact or verify outreach from Rebecca by emailing rebecca.bellan@techcrunch.com or via encrypted message at rebeccabellan.491 on Signal.