'Open Social,' a revolution comparable to open source, is gradually spreading, allowing users to reuse their own data and use various web services.
On social networking sites like X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook, user data is managed by the respective companies, making it impossible to move to another service while keeping the content of posts and follower information. To overcome this situation, a system called 'open social' is being developed, allowing each user to manage their own data.
Open Social — overreacted
https://overreacted.io/open-social/
Abramov was involved in the development of React at Meta. He left Meta around 2023 to join the Bluesky development team, where he promoted the development of Bluesky's client apps. He then left the Bluesky development team around the summer of 2025 and is currently working as a UI engineering consultant . GIGAZINE interviewed Abramov in September 2024, when he was a member of the Bluesky development team.
I went to the event 'Bluesky mini meetup in Kyoto 2024' where I could ask Bluesky development members, 'Can the server withstand the sudden increase in users?' and 'Are there plans to add a trend display function?' - GIGAZINE
By 'open social,' Abramov refers to social networks that operate based on common standards, as opposed to existing social networks that operate in closed worlds, similar to the relationship between proprietary software and open source software. There are several open protocols that can be used to build social networks, such as ActivityPub, which forms the basis of Mastodon, and Nostr, whose development is closely tied to Twitter founder Jack Dorsey. While Abramov prefaced his remarks by saying, 'I was only involved in the development of Bluesky's client app, not the design of the protocol,' he went on to praise the open protocol that underpins Bluesky, the ' AT Protocol ,' as 'a great example of open social,' and explained its mechanisms and advantages.
What are the differences between the decentralized social networking protocols 'AT Protocol,' 'ActivityPub,' and 'Nostr'? A summary of their features - GIGAZINE
The open web can be thought of as a revival of the old-fashioned web environment in today's social networking society. Before social networking sites and blogs became popular, individuals created their own websites (homepages), posted content such as text and images on their webpages, and linked to other people's websites. If a hosting service were to discontinue its services or its policies changed in a way that didn't suit the user's needs, these websites could be easily moved to another hosting service while preserving their content and links.
However, on social media, posted text, images, follower information, etc. are managed by the respective operating companies, making it difficult to transfer to another social media platform while keeping the data intact.
A major feature of the AT Protocol is that users can manage their own data.
Each user can manage their data using their own domain, rather than a handle name that can only be used within the service. For example,
Bluesky issues a free subdomain when you create an account, allowing even non-technical users to use the service with the same ease as traditional social networking sites. The following user received a free subdomain, 'testkun.bsky.social,' when they created their account.
Because each user has control over their own posts and following information, if they become dissatisfied with Bluesky, they can switch to an AT Protocol-compatible service that offers a similar service to Bluesky while keeping all of their information.
The AT Protocol can also be used to build services other than social networking sites, and AT Protocol-compatible services such as the blog service '
The AT Protocol is designed to treat all information as public information. This means that various AT Protocol-compatible services can access user information created on other services. This makes it possible to display the same profile and avatar image as Bluesky immediately after starting to use Tangled. It also makes it easy for third-party apps for Bluesky to access information from services other than Bluesky.
At the time of writing, 'corporate-controlled social networks' like X and Facebook have gained a large share of the market. For this reason, Abramov points out, 'Open social will likely rely on a community of die-hard enthusiasts willing to work hard for some time.' He adds, 'Like open source, open social creates synergies. The success of one open social app will contribute to other open social apps. Eventually, open social will win.' He predicts that open social will gain a certain status in the future.
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in Web Service, Posted by log1o_hf