Flipboard, the renowned social magazine app
In a bold move towards the decentralized social web, Flipboard, the renowned social magazine app, has announced its withdrawal from Twitter/X, opting to focus on platforms that align with its values of promoting trusted journalism, expert voices, and quality information. The company aims to deepen its commitment to the “fediverse,” including platforms like Mastodon, by suspending its Twitter activity.
Flipboard’s decision comes as part of its broader strategy to distance itself from platforms like Twitter/X, citing concerns about the rollback of moderation policies, which have resulted in an increase in harmful rhetoric and hate speech. The company believes that such changes contradict its core values, prompting the shift to the decentralized social web.
While Flipboard plans to maintain its X accounts for brand protection, its community and support teams will actively engage on Mastodon. The move is not merely a reaction to recent developments but a continuation of Flipboard’s embrace of decentralized social media, particularly in the aftermath of Elon Musk’s Twitter acquisition.
Despite facing challenges from Twitter’s policy changes that affected developers, Flipboard has taken proactive steps. The company not only transitioned its Twitter integration to Mastodon and Bluesky but also established a Mastodon server and online community. Additionally, Flipboard committed to integrating its app with ActivityPub, the protocol powering Mastodon and other decentralized social apps.
To delve deeper into the world of the fediverse, Flipboard’s CEO, Mike McCue, has launched a new podcast titled “Dot Social.” This podcast aims to explore the societal, cultural, and technical aspects of the decentralized social web. The guest lineup for “Dot Social” includes notable figures such as Mike Masnick (Techdirt founder), Mitchell Baker (CEO at Mozilla), Tony Stubblebine (CEO of Medium), Evan Prodromou (key contributor to ActivityPub), Ian Forrester (BBC R&D), John Battelle (Wired co-founder), and Tim Chambers (co-founder of Dewey Digital).
McCue, a serial entrepreneur with a background in voice-recognition software, sees potential in the fediverse and believes that a business model for it will emerge over time. As Flipboard shifts to decentralized social media, it aims to leverage its experience in curating the web to contribute meaningfully to the evolving landscape.
Flipboard is not alone in its embrace of Mastodon, with other tech companies like Medium and Automattic also joining the movement. Mozilla, a financial backer of the Mastodon client Mammoth, and Instagram’s rival Threads are among those anticipating integration with ActivityPub in the decentralized social networking future.
