The Fediverse just got some street cred, thanks to Threads
Threads (finally) took a brave step towards the Fediverse
Yesterday, Threads used their platform to put spotlight on the Fediverse by inviting Block Party co-founder Tracy Chou and Flipboard co-founder Mike McCue to an AMA (ask me anything) on the Fediverse - hosted by the Threads brand account.
With 4.1 million followers, the Threads brand account has more followers than Mastodon has monthly active users (MAU). So, the amount of exposure the Fediverse gets just sky rocketed.
I'm not saying that Mastodon is the driving force for the Fediverse, but it is a pretty big player in the traditionally induction to Fedi. For the Threads brand account to publicise the Fediverse in this way, more eyes will fall on the word 'Fediverse' than Mastodon could ever imagine.
No doubt this being led by Threads will upset some people, but this is the first steps towards a mainstream Fediverse.
Really, it's all about awareness
Like all things, you need to have heard of something before you even think about engaging with it.
This is a key principle in marketing. Even if you don't care about it or you aren't interested the industry, if you know a name you've got one foot in the door already.
That's why Hollywood blockbusters are on every advertising board - maybe you'll never watch it, but you know the name, and that's half the marketing journey already.
The decentralised system of the Fediverse is both a source of beauty and a weight around the legs. Different organisations try and push awareness but there's no combined effort, no structure.
Some organisations and people expect the Fediverse to be recognised with their target audience, others (often with a wider, less tech-central, net) know that 95% of social media users have never heard of it.
What is the Fediverse?
This question is answered daily by different people and organisations. But it never stops being asked.
Why? Because it's not mainstream. People stumble across it in their own time and ask the question. There's no knowledge prior to that.
The only way to stop this is to increase visibility. To get more people talking about the Fediverse, using the language, and encouraging others. The bigger their platform, the bigger the spread.
Just like the Threads brand account has.
What does this mean?
This is exciting.
True, Meta have some very serious problems that we shouldn't ignore. But this is a move in the long-game for the Fediverse.
If users leave X, move to Threads, gain more understanding of the Fediverse thanks to Threads, then move to nonprofit, for good Fediverse platforms - it's a far more realistic journey for many than the jump from X to Mastodon.
To me, that's the most important thing. Encouraging others to begin the journey, the learning, that there is a Fediverse out there full of options. People who aren't in tech circles, who have never encountered this, are now setting off on that journey thanks to Threads using their platform (and of course thanks to Tracy and Mike's great answers).
Check out the Threads Fediverse AMA
Lots of interesting answers to some very interesting questions:
