Users of Some Topics Can Now Share Their Posts on Fediverse
The post-Twitter world is split into a handful of potential alternative social networks, which is exciting but also annoying. Last week things got a little more integrated. This is because Threads, a Twitter alternative owned by Meta, allowed users of Mastodon and other services to follow Threads accounts that followed Fediverse.
What is Fediverse?
Many Threads users have expressed confusion about this announcement, mainly because they don’t know what Fediverse is. To greatly exaggerate, Fediverse is a social media network built on the same protocol: ActivityPub.
Do you know how, as a Gmail user, you can send an email to someone who uses Outlook, Yahoo Mail, or a private server? This is because email is built on a protocol that no one owns. Fediverse works in a similar way: you can share posts from one network, and users of other Fediverse networks can view them. So far, some of the most popular services on the network include Mastodon, image sharing site Pixelfed, and Reddit alternative Lemmy. Tumblr is also working on integration , meaning Threads, Mastodon, and Tumblr could eventually become part of the same ecosystem sometime this year.
Meta is slowly moving towards launching the Threads connection to Fediverse. The new feature is in beta testing and is only available in the US, Canada and Japan. Users must give consent before their posts are published on other social networks, and this feature is incomplete: Threads users will not be able to see likes and replies from users outside of Threads, will not be able to follow users to other services, and cannot post polls or topics with restrictive replies. It’s just the beginning, but it’s already something.
How to enable ActivityPub in Threads
To get started, open Threads in your browser. Click on the two lines in the top right corner and select Settings .
Go to the Account tab and you will see the Fediverse sharing option. Again, this beta feature is only available in the US, Canada and Japan. You won’t see this feature unless you live in one of these places.
You’ll see an explanation of Fediverse and the limitations of the current beta. When you’re ready, click the Turn on sharing button.
That’s all! Now your account can be monitored from any compatible service. I verified this by searching for my Threads account on Mastodon and it was immediately available.
I’ll be honest: I’m a mastodon guy ( follow me ) and will probably never be active on Threads. And I know not everyone at Mastodon and other Fediverse services is thrilled about this. These services, by their very nature, are filled with people who don’t trust Facebook, Instagram or Meta. And I agree that Mark Zuckerberg’s company has proven time and time again that it cannot be trusted. However, I’m conflicted because I know there are people in my life who will likely never create a Mastodon account but might use Threads someday, and I need a way to keep up with them. I’m hoping that decentralization will make this possible in a way that I don’t have to use a service owned by Meta – hopefully this is a step towards that.