Threads is entering the fediverse. Users can now enable fediverse sharing in the Threads app and interact with content on other ActivityPub platforms, such as Mastodon. However, there are some limits to this functionality, and fediverse sharing is currently limited to Threads users in the United States, Canada, and Japan.
The fediverse is a decentralized collection of websites that can communicate with each other. It sounds complicated, but it’s actually a very simple idea. Instead of joining three or four gargantuan social media platforms just to keep up with friends and family, you could join a single, smaller, “federated” platform that’s connected to other federated websites.
You use Threads, your best friend is part of a Mastodon instance, and your mom uses PixelFed, but you can all see and interact with each other’s posts. That’s the idea behind the fediverse. We already enjoy this kind of cross-platform communication with email—a Gmail account can send messages to an Outlook or Proton Mail account—but it’s a relatively novel concept for social media.
Meta began toying with ActivityPub integration late last year. We knew that Threads would gain fediverse sharing, but we didn’t expect it to happen so quickly. There are a couple of limitations in this app beta, such as the inability to share polls or see any “likes” your posts have received on other platforms. The current integration is mostly one-way: people on Mastodon or other platforms can follow Threads accounts, but Threads accounts can’t follow people on other platforms. Meta also states that content deleted from Threads may not be deleted from the Fediverse at large.
In any case, Threads’ fediverse-sharing feature is still in beta. It’s disabled by default, and Meta says that it’s trying to iron out some of the aforementioned flaws. Users who want to dive into the fediverse must open Threads, go to Settings, open “Account Settings,” and click “Fediverse Sharing.” Threads will give you an explanation of the fediverse before asking you to opt in. You’re allowed to leave fediverse sharing disabled, of course.
Now that Threads has joined the fediverse, other social media platforms may choose to follow in its footsteps. However, several legacy websites, including Tumblr and Flickr, have already expressed interest in joining the federated network. This is an industry trend that would have continued trending without Threads.
Source: Meta
