Suggest edit — Open Social Web

Title

Name

Note

---
title: Open Social Web
visibility: public
status: research
date: 2026-02-01
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# Open Social Web

Research into the state of decentralized social protocols as of early 2026, with relevance to open knowledge graph projects and the broader question of who controls social infrastructure.

## ActivityPub / Fediverse

As of February 2026, Threads (Meta) has begun federation. WordPress, Ghost, and Flipboard support ActivityPub. The protocol enables cross-platform following and interaction. Limitations remain around discoverability, user experience parity with centralized platforms, and moderation at scale.

## AT Protocol / Bluesky

Bluesky reached 41 million users by early 2026. The protocol uses a three-layer architecture for identity, data, and social features. Its federation model differs from ActivityPub in its approach to data portability: users own their data and can move between providers. Custom feed algorithms are possible, and the protocol is designed for composable social applications.

## Strategic Interest

Both protocols represent alternatives to centralized social graphs. The open social graph question is relevant to several of Jacob's projects, particularly knowledge graph infrastructure and the idea that social connections should be portable across platforms. See also [[universal-identity|Universal Identity System]] for the authentication layer.

## Status

**Research direction.** Monitoring protocol adoption and evaluating integration opportunities.

## Related Ideas

- [[universal-identity|Universal Identity System]]

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*Source: Jacobpedia research notes, February 2026*