The first forms of social media were created in the early 1970s (The PLATO system which set the stage for online learning), the Talkomatic which was perhaps the first online chat room was one of the first forms of social media. As the years have passed social media has evolved in major ways.
For the past couple of years, I have been infatuated with web 3.0 and decentralized social media platforms. Owning your content and being able to earn from it without getting monetized is a game changer. To be honest I am surprised more people are not moving over to these types of platforms. I know why big names are not moving over to them though. They already make money from their posts on centralized platforms so why switch?
In this article we are going to go over the evolution of social media and how decentralized social media is the next part of its evolutionary cycle. We are at the beginning of something bigger than anything in our lifetime. We are witnessing technology evolve right before our eyes through blockchain, decentralizing the world, and a new way to create content through artificial intelligence. Keep reading to also find out what decentralized social media platforms I believe will grow massively in the years to come.
Decentralizing The World
Social media is not the only thing that is slowly becoming decentralized. We are also seeing our finances, games, digital products, and much more joining this movement. Blockchain is allowing us to take back what has always been rightfully ours. Instead of these major companies owning our lives we now have the chance to take it back. When you own keys for a wallet it is like owning keys to your car. People can look at your car all they want but they cannot drive it. The one with the keys controls the movement. This is the same exact thing when you are given a secret phrase when using a decentralized platform. So instead of rich, power-hungry elites owning your password and pretty much the keys to your digital life, you will become the true owner of your money, and digital life in general.
When Bitcoin was created and launched in January 2009 the world was not ready for what it was. I am pretty sure most people still do not understand the importance of this technology. I know this technology is changing the world and we are seeing it happen right before our eyes. If you are not paying attention, then I suggest you sit back and read what I am about to tell you.
SEC Meets With Blackrock, Fidelity, Franklin Templeton, and Grayscale to Discuss Their Spot Bitcoin ETF Applications - Source
We are seeing major changes happen in the Cryptocurrency world. There has yet to be a Bitcoin Spot ETF because of fears of market manipulation. Which I totally agree with them. I do not want some big companies to try to control Bitcoin or Cryptocurrency as a whole. That is what big companies do though. If there is money to be made, then they are the first to try to fill their pockets. To be honest I would not doubt that Blackrock was the creator of Bitcoin. Wouldn’t it be the perfect idea. Create something and let everyone believe it to be controlled by the people and then swoop in and try to control the money. I have so many ideas of who and why Bitcoin was created. It would make your head spin. I highly doubt they created it to be honest, but it was fun twirling that around my brain for a little bit.
Recently Blackrock has been pushing the SEC and meeting them regularly. There are also other big companies meeting with the SEC such as Grayscale Investments, Franklin Templeton, and Fidelity Investments. The companies are not stopping until something happens and I have a feeling that is coming real soon. Bloomberg has predicted that there is a 90% chance the sec will approve the spot Bitcoin ETFs by January 10th, 2024. If this happens then I suggest you get ready to see some major changes come into effect. We are witnessing the beginning of a whole new market.
With this happening we will see more people start to invest in Bitcoin. Which will start a flow of new people looking into to this technology and realizing that there is a whole new world of buying and selling. Cryptocurrency is the market that never sleeps. The stock market in the US, including Nasdaq and NYSE, are only open from 9:30am to 4 pm. When buying and selling Cryptocurrency you can do it anytime anywhere.
It is wild what is happening with the markets these days. We are seeing highs and lows like never before. The UK is headed for a long period of stagflation and who knows what is happening in America. I think If you are looking for somewhere safe for your money then Bitcoin might just be your answer. Not only Bitcoin but other cryptocurrencies are growing as time goes on. Ones that have true utility to them such as decentralized social media platforms such as Torum, Tangled, Uhive, DeSo, and a couple more might just be some of the best investments of your life. What is good about these projects is you can still earn their tokens without investing. Just use the platforms and you will start earning their native tokens. You can learn more about these platforms later in this article.
Which brings me to the next section of this article. Decentralized social media, why it is so important, and why I think now is the best time to start using them. Social media is changing, do you want to be left in the dust when these platforms take over big name social media like Facebook? You do not have to be a Cryptocurrency wiz to use these platforms. Instead of using TikTok or some other mind-numbing platform why not check out decentralized social media and become a part of something bigger than yourself?
Social Media is Changing
Since the first forms of social media, we have seen massive growth and today the amount of people using social media is over 4 billion users! This is half of the population. Social media has become a part of our everyday lives. The only problem with this is people scroll through social media all day, liking and commenting while these big tech companies suck your data like it is a cold Pepsi on a summer day. I get they need to make money and advertising is what keeps these companies alive but what if I told you social media has evolved to allow you to earn from those precious likes, comments, and just your attention. I know you would probably think I was crazy. Well, that is exactly what is happening. Social media is evolving and allowing you to earn what you are worth and what your data is worth. So how exactly has social media evolved? Below we are going to go over a timeline of social media. How it was created and how it has evolved to become what it has become today.
We have already gone over The PLATO system which started it all back in the 1970’s, so let’s jump to the 1980’s to 1990’s.
In the 1980’s we saw the introduction of Windows and Mac OS. These OS’s used graphical user interfaces which helped create an environment that allows for early social media platforms to thrive. Platforms such as Internet Relay Chat (IRC) and Bulletin board systems (BBS) were two of the widely used social platforms. IRC is still used today. There is another social platform called The WELL that was created in 1985 that is still used today as well!
1990’s to 2000’s
Now we are going to go into Myspace and Facebook years. These major companies were released during the 2000’s, and in 2003 Myspace was created. This changed everything. I remember using Myspace all the time back in the day. I would change my background and make music play on my homepage. Oh, the good old days. Not long after that, in 2004 Facebook was created. What do you know, Facebook sucked the life right out of Myspace and left it to be turned into the mess it is today. To be honest it might be cool. I have not really checked it out since its downfall. To me it looks like a music media type of platform now. Not only were these big-name companies created during these years but blogging also started to gain traction. Not only that but Wikipedia was launched in 2001. That was 22 years ago! Also, platforms such as Twitter (2006) and LinkedIn (2003) were created during this time.
2010’s
These are the true years of social media becoming what it is today. During these years we have seen a massive number of new platforms emerge and grow at a steady pace. Platforms such as Pinterest and Instagram (2010), Snapchat and Google+ (2011), Tinder (2012), Patreon (2013), and many more. Did you know Medium was created in August 2012! Man do I feel old. These were the years of the social media boom. You can find the full list here.
2020’s
Here we are in the 2020’s and oh how the social media world is changing. We are seeing a whole new world of social media. A world where the creator takes back their creations and sits in the driver seat. When we were using old school social media, we were just passengers to our creations. Decentralized social media allows us to actually own what we create and earn from it no matter the number of followers you have. The future of social media is at our doorstep, and we are some of the first creators to help mold and watch it evolve.
In the next section we are going to go over what I think are some of the top decentralized social media platforms. To get a closer look at these platforms check out my video at the beginning of this article.
The Top Decentralized Social Platforms
In this section we are going to go over some of the top growing decentralized social media platforms. CoinGecko has provided a detailed list of some of the top used decentralized social media platforms.
We are not going to be going over these though. We are going to be going over a couple of platforms that I think are top of the line and worth checking out. Just because a platform has a large user base does not always mean they are the best. These projects are not in any type of order, and I think each one of them is good in their own ways.
Tangled
I have talked about this platform a lot in my articles and sharing on social media. If you would like to check out one of my articles about Tangled click here. My article will fill you in all about this amazing platform. Tangled is like no other decentralized social media platform I have come across. It was first thought of in 2018 by the genius mind of Price Givens and was launched in 2020. They have a thriving community. There is no mining when it comes to earning their native token called Millix (MLX). Instead, they work off an earning basis. All Millix that is created must be earned by the users. So instead of this token being mined it needs to be earned. There are multiple ways you can earn as well. You can earn by running the Tangled browser which acts as a node for the platform. The browser helps secure the network by using your computer as a transaction hub. If you would like to learn more about the Tangled browser, check out another article I wrote. You can also earn by just participating on their social media called Tangled. Playing games, writing blogs, and creating music. The sky is truly the limit when it comes to this platform, and I think we have just begun to see what Tangled and Millix are capable of. Another thing I thought was cool about Tangled and Millix is that it does not run on a blockchain but instead uses something called a Directed Acyclic Graph also known as a DAG or Tangle. If you would like to learn more about Millix click here.
Torum
Torum is another mind blowing decentralized social media platform. It was first created in 2020. The CEO Yi Feng Go is one of the creators. This platform stands out to me because it has a growing user base that is engaging and shows support for creators who are trying their best to create and interact with each other. Torum uses its native token called Torum (XTM). You can earn XTM by completing simple tasks such as signing in everyday, like a certain number of posts, posting at least once a day, and many more. You can also post and earn but that is a hit or miss scenario. You will not earn from every post but if you put something out there that touches the other users then you will be showered with plenty of gifts. When using this platform, I suggest being yourself and posting things you are passionate about. If you would like to learn more about Torum click here. This article is a little old, but it explains how the platform works. I plan on doing updated articles about each of these platforms in the future. It is hard to stay on top of each platform with how fast they are evolving.
Uhive
Uhive is one of the most intriguing decentralized social platforms I have found. I have been following this platform since it was first released in 2018. This platform has been growing at an extremely fast pace and I think it has a lot to offer. To learn more about Uhive check out my article. This article is a little outdated as well but shows you how the platform works. There have been many updates and improvements since I posted this article. I will be doing a follow up in the coming months. Uhive uses its native token called HVE2. This token is used to incentivize users to use the platform. The more you use the platform and interact with others the more you will earn. The tokens are paid out monthly. The price of HVE2 is sitting at around $0.0006 right now. I think prices do not matter right now because these platforms are still growing, and the sky is the limit when it comes to future prices. It would take me forever to explain how this platform works so I suggest checking out my article and video.
Solcial
Solcial is a fairly new decentralized social media platform that runs on the Solana blockchain. This platform allows you to earn their native token called SLCL. The way to earn this token is through staking. Solcial has a base staking APY of 20% but what is cool is the extra APY you get for participating in the platform. The more you use Solcial the higher your extra APY will go and the more you can earn. It is a little difficult to explain in a short paragraph so if you would like to learn more about this platform then check out one of my recent articles titled “What is Solcial?”. I enjoy using this platform. There is a high earning potential, the platform is laid out nicely which makes it easy to use, and content is entertaining and educational.
LimeWire
Anyone who was using the internet around the 2000’s then you might remember a file sharing platform called LimeWire. LimeWire was one of the most well-known file sharing platforms back in the day. Of course, there were ones before it such as Gnutella (1990) and Napster (1999), but no other platform had such a huge impact on the digital world as LimeWire did. LimeWire shut down in 2010 because of legal issues. People were sharing copyright content. After LimeWire shutdown it disappeared off the face of the earth for a little over a decade. In 2022 LimeWire returned but not as we knew it. It is now a decentralized social media powerhouse that harnesses the power of AI. You can use AI to create mind blowing art, audio, and video (video coming soon). This is a awesome platform that not only uses blockchain but also AI. You can choose multiple different AI models when creating content. I think this is a game changer. No more searching and trying different models on multiple different websites. This platform is a true decentralized social media powerhouse. If you would like to learn more about LimeWire check out my article “What is LimeWire”.
DeSo
DeSo is a mind-blowing project. It was first launched in 2021 and has been growing ever since. It is a decentralized social media platform that allows anyone to build onto it. DeSo also allows anyone and everyone to earn from their posts from the very first thing you post. If people like what you have to say they can reward your post with Diamonds. These Diamonds are fractions of the DeSo token. So think of it like sats for Bitcoin. You can give a post anywhere from 1 💎 ($0.01) all the way up to 6 💎($124.55). This means there is no need to get monetized. Everyone who joins is monetized. The amount you earn depends on the quality of your content. There is so much more to go over when it comes to DeSo but this article would be pages long if I tried to explain each project in detail. If you would like to have a closer look at DeSo then I suggest checking out my article “DeSo - A Deeper Look Into the best Social Blockchain Project”.
These are not the only platforms I have been following and using but they are my top picks for what I believe to be the future of decentralized social media. Social media has become the backbone of creating a digital future for yourself and your company. Being able to reach millions of people daily is how companies get out updates and let their users know what is going on. Allowing anyone to start earning from these their posts brings a whole new stream of income while also allowing you to spread your creations.
Final Thoughts
Social media has played a pivotal role in our society for over 50 years. Just like with any other technology, social media is evolving and allowing people to own their data. Instead of these big companies like Facebook control your data. You are now the king of your creations.
I honestly believe decentralized social media is the next step in the evolution of social media. I spend most of my free time exploring and studying these platforms because my gut keeps telling me this is going to be world changing.
Tangled
Torum
Uhive
Solcial
LimeWire
DeSo
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