Beyond the Blue - Week in Bluesky

Get the latest news, tips, and featured posts related to Bluesky and AT Protocol.

Welcome to the 2nd issue of this newsletter! I would like to express 

 to all those who took the time to read the first issue and subscribed 😊. You're motivating me to keep going with this side project to bring you cool stuff around Bluesky.

I have to admit, every week I find myself falling in love with a new AT Protocol client. But this time… I found 

I am absolutely blown away by all the things this client can do

. Although, is still not perfect, it offers several cool features that really amp up the Bluesky experience. In this client, you get improved discoverability, 

Skyfeed has also implemented Bluesky the much awaited custom feeds 

even before the official Bluesky app (even if 

) and it offers many functionalities to discover popular customs feeds.

I hope you enjoy this newsletter. If you do, please share it on Bluesky and among your friends! 

Don't forget that you can find more apps, tools and clients in the 

Do you like the newsletter? Do you have ideas for improvement? You are welcome to reply to this email or 

Every week @ferran.cc sends you a newsletter with the latest Bluesky and AT Proto news

Beyond the Blue #2

Jayme's Paragraph

 users are frustrated with in today’s market. Here’s what they said.

What's your biggest frustration today as an onchain user?

I surveyed both Farcaster and Twitter to get a pulse of what onchain users are frustrated with in today’s market. Here’s what they said.

What are onchain users frustrated with?

0x5D98

Decentralized finance (DeFi) has been gaining momentum in recent years as an alternative to traditional finance.

Aave is one of DeFi's flagship protocols, designed to provide users with an open-source, trusteeship-free platform for lending and borrowing cryptocurrencies. Launched in January 2020, Aave has quickly become one of DeFi's most popular projects, with a total blockchain value (TVL) of more than $12 billion as of May 2023.

Aave is built on the Ethereum blockchain and uses smart contracts to automate the lending and borrowing process. The platform supports a wide range of cryptocurrencies including Ethereum, Bitcoin, stablecoins and other ERC-20 tokens. Aave also offers several unique features, such as flash loans and collateral replacement, which have helped it stand out from other DeFi projects.

Security is a critical concern for any DeFi project, and Aave has taken a number of measures to ensure the security of user funds. One of the most notable security features of Aave is its integration with the Chainlink decentralized oracle network. This partnership allows Aave to access real-time information about the prices of various cryptocurrencies, which ensures that lending and borrowing rates on the platform are always accurate.

Aave also uses a unique encryption algorithm called zk-SNARKs to ensure user transaction privacy. This algorithm allows users to interact with the Aave protocol without revealing their identity or transaction history. This level of privacy is a significant advantage for users who are concerned about their financial privacy.

Minimum liquidity and growth opportunities

One of the main advantages of Aave is that there is no minimum liquidity requirement to enter the market. This means that anyone can participate in the Aave ecosystem, regardless of their financial situation. This open access has contributed to the rapid growth of Aave, as it has attracted a large number of users who previously had no access to traditional financing.

The growth potential of Aave is significant, as it is still a relatively new project with great opportunities for expansion. Aave has already established itself as a leading DeFi protocol, but the growth potential for DeFi is still very large. As more and more users realize the benefits of DeFi, Aave stands a good chance of capturing a significant portion of that market.

Aave has a robust community of developers and users who provide feedback and contribute to the development of the project. The official Aave Discord server is a great resource for users to communicate with the Aave team and ask questions about the protocol. In addition, Aave has received support from several well-known blockchain companies, including Chainlink, ConsenSys and Coinbase Ventures.

Aave has attracted significant attention from venture capital firms and investors. Several well-known blockchain-focused venture capital firms, such as Polychain Capital and Three Arrows Capital, have invested in Aave. These funds have helped Aave raise significant capital to fuel the company's growth and development.

As with any cryptocurrency investment, there is always the risk of market volatility. Aave's lending and borrowing platform is designed to be resilient to market dips through the use of collateralized loans. When users borrow funds from Aave, they must provide collateral in the form of cryptocurrency. This collateral acts as a buffer against market volatility, protecting the lender's funds in the event of a market downturn.

Aave's native token, AAVE, plays an important role in the platform ecosystem. AAVE is used as collateral for loans, and also gives users the rights to manage the platform. Users who own AAVE can participate in the platform's decision-making process by voting on proposals to change or improve the platform. This token system has helped align the interests of platform users and the Aave team as they work together to improve and develop the platform.

Like any cryptocurrency investment, Aave has its pros and cons. Here are some of the major advantages and disadvantages of the platform:

Open access: Aave has no minimum liquidity requirements, making it accessible to anyone, regardless of their financial situation.

Wide range of assets supported: Aave supports a wide range of cryptocurrencies, giving users flexibility and choice.

Innovative features: Aave's flash lending and collateral replacement features are unique and have helped set the platform apart from other DeFi projects.

Strong security: Aave has implemented several security measures, such as oracle Chainlink networking and zk-SNARKs encryption, to keep users' funds secure.

Strong community support: Aave has a strong community of developers, users, and investors who provide feedback and contribute to the development of the project.

Market Volatility: As with any cryptocurrency investment, there is a risk of market volatility. Aave's collateralized lending system helps reduce this risk, but it is still an issue.

Dependence on Ethereum: Aave is built on the Ethereum blockchain, which means it is subject to the limitations and potential risks of the Ethereum ecosystem.

Regulatory uncertainty: The DeFi space is still relatively new, and there is regulatory uncertainty about how DeFi protocols will be regulated in the future.

Aave is one of the most innovative and interesting DeFi projects in the cryptocurrency space. The platform's lending and borrowing features, as well as its unique flash lending and collateral exchange capabilities, have helped it stand out from other DeFi projects. Aave's robust security features, such as Chainlink networking and zk-SNARKs encryption, keep users' funds secure.

Open access, a wide range of supported assets, and strong community support have helped Aave become one of DeFi's leading protocols. While cryptocurrency investments still involve risks, Aave's collateralized lending system helps mitigate those risks. Overall, Aave is a promising project that has significant growth potential in the rapidly evolving DeFi space.

Getting to know Aave: DeFi's innovative credit platform

Taylored Content

In-depth news digests cataloging what's going on in crypto, Web3, and the decentralized web. With branded snark and commentary you won't get anywhere else.

Have Ordinals turned Bitcoin into something 

 This is kind of a funny predicament. On one hand, bitcoin maximalists have a point. Ordinals have driven up network fees and turned the blockchain into a spam pit. Other the other hand, it's an open-source network, which means that anyone can jump on, shit in their neighbor's yard, and run for the baseball field with a blazing torch strapped to one's naked ass. And that's precisely what BRC-20 creators are doing. Welcome to the world of decentralization. Yippee-ki-yi-yay MOFOs!

Usually, when people rank these platforms, they leave Hive off and include Steemit, indicating their bias. In this case, CoinGecko includes Hive, but I don't think this is good journalism. It shows Hive way down the list and Steemit at No. 2, which is questionable. Several of the other platforms listed are also on Hive and if they're all added together, they would put Hive higher than Bluesky. Another thing is, they call Steemit a "Reddit Alternative" and Hive a "Medium Alternative," but Hive forked off Steem, which means they have the same basic source code.

This is a great initiative and could lead to further growth of the Hive blockchain. We could use a few more good front ends that don't seek to duplicate dapps already on the blockchain but are fresh, new ideas.

One digital artist is offering hand-made prints of his 

. Uncle Bonehead and I had Nathan Senn and Chris Rice back on the show to talk about the 

 proposal for funding, how they got what they asked for, and where they're taking the Hive blockchain's leading microblogging dapp next. 

This is where I share some of the Web3 social media posts I've been reading this week.

@hiro-hive celebrates @TheyCallMeDan as a 

 to which social media platforms are decentralized. 

He and I get into a robust discussion, along with @starkerz, over the nature of the framework and whether it's fair or accurate to refer to 

 as a platform rather than a protocol. In my mind, the blockchain is the protocol and the social media interface, a front end equal to other front ends like @ecency and @peakd is a platform. This is critical when judging Web3 social media platforms because some of them are built on existing blockchains rather than on their own blockchains and the blockchain upon which one is built determines a great deal in terms of user experience. Comparing apples to apples is critical.

This month, I and a few other Web3 warriors took Greg Younger's 

. The Write3 Guy taught us how to create a Subscribe-to-Mint NFT on Mirror and challenged us to do it ourselves. Below are a few of the entries in the challenge, including my own:

I got an invite to Farcaster and would love to like it. It looks like a good system, but I can only use it on my smartphone and I don't like using my phone for creating and posting content. I'm an old guy and love my laptop. Unfortunately, Farcaster has a way to pair the mobile app to an Apple/Mac operating system, but not for Windows. That pretty much shuts me out. But I'm going to be patient.

Every Tuesday, I post a new video from a 

Not long after we started our van life adventure, Theresa and I visited the Low Country in South Carolina and spent a few days exploring the Sea Islands. The Sea Islands are a string of islands along the Atlantic coast of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.

Let's Take a Trip to South Carolina's Sea Islands

If you haven't seen the announcement yet, on May 22, I'll be launching Paragraph's first NFT token-gated book launch using a Mirror NFT as the token. In fact, it will be the first NFT book launch on Paragraph. You can get the book poster for free, but there are only 2 mints left.

Why the Real Ethereum Killer is ... Ethereum

For Christians ... or anyone interested in exploring ancient wisdom.

Personally, I can attest to the spiritual truth wrapped up in Proverbs 13:10. Arrogance does indeed lead to strife. Here's the text of this verse in its full: Arrogance leads only to strife, but wisdom is with the well-advised. What is arrogance?

Unraveling the Wisdom of Proverbs 13:10

If you like this post, show me some love. There are three ways to show me that you enjoyed reading this issue of Web3 Writings.

Also, check out the Mirror posts I've been interacting with this week

How Ordinals Are Making Bitcoin More Like Ethereum

test 3

(A Work In Progress) Web 3.0 has been hailed as the next revolution in internet technology, offering a more decentralized, secure, and intelligent web experience. While this future is promising, there is an urgent need to reassess the structure and design of the current crop of Web 3 applications and technologies.

Web 3.0 envisions a wonderful world where users have more control over their data, smart contracts govern transactions, and artificial intelligence plays a significant role in content discovery and understanding. Decentralized apps (dApps) are at the forefront of this shift, leveraging blockchain technology to operate on peer-to-peer networks instead of centralized servers.

The development of Web 3.0 applications has so far encountered numerous challenges, including scalability, interoperability, and usability. These issues stem from the fact that many of these technologies have grown organically without well-defined standards, leading to a disjointed ecosystem where various platforms struggle to communicate effectively.

Addressing challenges requires a reevaluation of existing Web 3 infrastructure. This may involve the development of new protocols, as well as the establishment of industry-wide best practices, to guide future innovations. By doing so, we can ensure that Web 3 delivers on its promise of an improved internet experience with increased user autonomy and security.


As we move toward a more decentralized internet, the gig economy could experience a major transformation. In a Web 3.0 world, freelancers and independent contractors may benefit from increased transparency, trustless transactions, and reduced intermediaries through smart contracts and decentralized platforms. This shift has the potential to empower individuals, granting them greater control over their work, fairer compensation, and improved work-life balance. Ultimately, a Web 3.0-based gig economy can promote a more equitable and efficient marketplace for talent, fostering innovation and collaboration across various industries.

Web 3.0 has the potential to reshape our digital lives, but its success hinges on a willingness to reevaluate and adjust the underlying technologies currently in place. By addressing the pressing issues of scalability, interoperability, and usability, we can build a more robust and inclusive future for the internet.

Happy M'aidez, An Online S.O.S 

May Day Manifesto

Thumbs' Update (Dark Mode: Enabled)

Feeling particularly generous

Just a Paragragh or Two

Cryptobobo

ลุ้นรับ Lens Profile ผ่านทาง Phaver และลุ้นรับ Airdrop พิเศษอื่นๆจาก Phaver (ไม่เกี่ยวกับ Lens)

ไกด์นี้ให้เครดิตคุณ Jira#4261 ที่เขียนในห้องดิสคอร์ดของ Phaver นะครับ

วิธีลุ้นรับ Lens Profile ผ่านทาง Phaver

 และเชื่อม Discord + Twitter 

2. กดทำตาม Task --> กด Refresh --> กด Next

3. หน้านี้จะมีสรุปว่าเราทำอะไรบ้าง เพื่อเก็บแต้ม สามารถกด Submit ได้เลยแล้วมา Update แต้มทีหลังได้ครับ

4.  SBT จะมีการแอร์ดรอปมาให้ในกระเป๋าโดยจะไม่มีการันตีและไม่มีเวลาชัดเจน เราจะสามารถเข้ามาเช็คใน 

5. สิ่งที่ทำรอได้คือโหลด Phaver App

https://apps.apple.com/fi/app/phaver/id1516296591

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.phaver_mobile&pli=1

6. สมัครไอดีและตอนสมัครสามารถใส่ invitation code: cryptobobo (ref) / EARLYBIRD (non-ref)

หากได้รับ SBT แล้วให้ Verify my NFT

 และล็อคอินด้วยบัญชี Phaver

2.  เลือก SBT จาก Collections และ Verify

https://discord.com/channels/930833706460004402/1072742829958377472/1074892545328435273

 และเชื่อมกิลเพื่อรับ Role

4. ตอนนี้เราจะอยู่ใน Waitlist และรอประกาศในดิสคอร์ดเพื่อไปรับ Lens Profile 

5. อยู่ใน Waitlist แล้วก็ไม่การันตีเพราะจะมีโอกาส 10% ในการได้รับเลือกให้เคลม Lens ในแต่ละรอบ  (ตัวเลข10% มาจากการคำนวณกันในคอมมู โดยมาจากจำนวนที่ทาง Lens เลือกให้สิทธิ์จาก Waitlist ทั้งหมดที่ทาง Phaver ส่งไปในแต่ละอาทิตย์)

วิธีลุ้นรับ Airdrop พิเศษอื่นๆจาก Phaver (ไม่เกี่ยวกับ Lens)

1. ถ้ามีแอปและสมัครไอดีเรียบร้อยแล้วให้เรามาโพสต์เรื่อยๆเพื่อเก็บแต้มบน Phaver

2. โพสต์เพื่อเก็บแต้มโดยการโพสต์ปกติจะได้ stake ละ 1 แต้มแต่ Premium Topic จะได้ Stake ละ 10 แต้มให้พยายามโพสต์แบบ Premium เยอะๆและมาแลก stake ในดิสได้ครับ

3.วิธีโพสต์ให้กด + ข้างล่าง ตรงกลางแอป

4. เขียนคอนเทนท์ให้เรียบร้อยและกด Next

5.1 เลื่อนลงมาและเลือก Popular Topic สำหรับโพสต์ Topic ธรรมดาไม่เสียแต้มและรับ 1 แต้มต่อ 1 Stake

5.2 เลือก Premium Topic เสีย 50 แต้มและรับ 10 แต้มต่อ 1 Stake

6. เมื่อแต้มถึง 2,000 ให้เลือกหัวข้อโพสต์เป็น Frens Application และเขียนเนื้อหาแนะนำตัว

7. ทางทีมจะเลือก Frens Application ตามคุณภาพ และ Reply จากนั้นจะให้ Role 

ปั้ม Rank Lens Profile ยังไง? 

 โดยการพิมพ์ชื่อ Lens ของเรา ตามตัวอย่าง

2. วิธีเพิ่ม Rank สามารถทำได้ด้วยการ interact บน Lenster ดังนี้

3. ส่วนนี้จะไม่เกี่ยวกับการเพิ่ม Rank แต่อยากให้ทำ

วันนี้แฮมคุงจะมาสรุป Recap วิธีการล่า Airdrop Lens ให้เพื่อนๆครับ

อยากล่า Airdrop Lens เริ่มต้นยังไง?

emma's newsletter

Writing about web3, community building, and culture

Stereocaster went through a lot of changes this week, which you can view at 

The main change is a redesigned player and queue feature, so it’s easier to discover and play shared audio while scrolling through the casts feed.

It was really motivating to see how people responded to my initial post last week, even with my fairly rough prototype. I received some really helpful feedback and even a mention in 

1. Making Stereocaster more user friendly

I implemented pagination, the queue, and part of the auto-playing feature this week based on feedback from v1 and my own notes. I’ve realized it makes more sense to focus on making Spotify links work well first before branching out to other audio links, especially since I’m still figuring out the Spotify API’s capabilities.

For next week, implementing a fully-functional auto-play experience and fixing bugs are some of my top priorities. Right now, audio auto-plays after clicking “Play” on a cast, but the queue doesn’t automatically play through, which would be a big UX improvement.

Stereocaster v1 relied on a NodeJS script that generated an HTML file, which made it very difficult to make changes to my code. I ended up migrating the codebase to React, which drastically improved the readability of my code but also introduced some new challenges. I also tried out Tailwind and Vite for the first time, and I like both. 

3. Progress on the backend: still a work in progress

I didn’t get a chance to work more with Hubs this week, but I did try using the Searchcaster API to pull in casts in real time. While it worked smoothly, it felt a little slow, so I ended up writing a script that would fetch casts using the Searchcaster API and create JSON files for me to manually upload instead. This isn’t an ideal solution, but it’s working out while I continue to work on the backend.

Stereocaster Digest #1 is in the works, along with some minor bug fixes and hopefully a better auto-playing experience.

I am always open to feedback, so if there’s anything you’d like to see with Stereocaster, please let me know! You can find me on 

buildspace n&w week 2: Stereocaster v2

On Top of Ruins

My thoughts on engineering, cryptography, protocols and AI

When I first use the internet in 2000, people believed in a free and open internet: a place where anyone can say anything, and anyone who wants to hear it can listen. We were optimistic about an internet that would allow anyone to express their beliefs “without fear of being coerced into silence or conformity”. The free flow of information and hyper-connectedness of internet were supposed to promote mutual understanding of mankind and positive change.

However, two decades later, the egalitarian vision of free speech heaven has failed to materialized. Instead, we have widespread online harassment, misinformation that causes real harm, and violent and hateful content that no one should have to witness. Rather than enhancing mutual understanding, free speech has led to increasing political polarization.

Content moderation has often been an afterthought in today’s internet. Every major internet platforms today started with very few rules. As these platforms grow bigger and people began to do crazy, unpredictable and hateful things, rules and moderation are gradually implemented. There are still online spaces that adhere to the anything-goes mentality, such as 4chan, but they often turned ugly where majority of people choose not to participate. In some sense, content moderation helped make the internet more attractive and functional for most people. It’s already part of the internet.

Moderators are human, and as such, they bring their own perspectives, biases, and beliefs to the job. Without question, content that is blatantly illegal, such as child pornography, should be removed. However, in cases where the line between free speech and harm is less clear, content moderation becomes intricate. For some, certain political viewpoints are harmful and therefore should be censored. For others, all opinions, even controversial ones, should be allowed to circulate freely.

The real question, then, is not whether content moderation is censorship, but rather how it can be done in a way that serves us and the society. What speech should be restricted as harmful? By whom? In what way?

The difficulties in content moderation is captured by the 

The past decade of content moderation controversies suggests that these three goals can’t all be met.

Large walled gardens like Facebook, Twitter, and others are certainly unwilling to shrink their user growth and give up control over content moderation. The thesis is that dissatisfaction with moderation decisions on these centralized platforms is inevitable.

, is presented as a solution to the Moderator’s Trilemma. Here is the idea: de-siloing social media, giving up on centralized moderation, devolves content moderation decisions to the individual instances that make up the overall network. Under this model, if users are dissatisfied with a instance’s policy, they can freely switch instances and migrate their account data, including their followers and post history. Unlike the traditional platforms that rely on high switching costs to keep users locked within their walled garden, Fediverse gives it users the freedom of exit. And this freedom in turn enhances users’ power to influencing instances’ policy. This concept is also referred to as content-moderation subsidiarity.

The growing pains of content moderation in Mastodon

The idea of devolving content moderation is seemingly compelling, but its implementation in Fediverse, especially Mastodon, is far from ideal.

Fediverse instances are typically run by volunteers, leading to a lack of dedicated resources for determining and enforcing uniform content moderation standards. As a result, moderation decisions within the Fediverse can be arbitrary and ad-hoc, a problem that is amplified as instances grow in size.

. Journa.host is a Mastodon instance founded by Adam Davidson, a journalist who worked at The New York Times and The New Yorker. Users are required to prove that they are professional journalists to join the instance. Mike Pesca was a member of the instance, who hosts the popular news podcast “The Gist.” He posted a link to a New York Times story about health concerns associated with the puberty-blocking drugs sometimes prescribed to transgender youths, wrote, “This seemed like careful, thorough reporting.” Parker Molloy, another journa.host user and herself a transgender woman, responded strongly and calling Pesca anti-trans bigotry. Pesca defended his original post and criticized Molloy's actions, wrote, "you as a member of the activist community attack the article of bad bedfellows, insult me and mischaracterize the story as Republicans Versus Doctors.” 

Journa.host suspended Pesca for referring to Molloy as an “activist,” which was dismissive. The site also suspended Molloy for "attacking the integrity of another, who is a moderator on the server.” Despite that, journa.host’s decisions has been criticized from all sides. Some believe that journa.host should not have suspended Pesca for his comparatively restrained response to Molloy's attack. Others criticized journa.host for suspending Molloy and for not doing more to fight transphobia.

We have temporarily suspended two users. One published several posts attacking the integrity of another, who is a moderator on the server. The second user published a post demeaning the professionalism of a journalist, based on their identity. We want this to be a place where journalists can have productive conversations.

Journa.Host Admin Team (@info@journa.host)

 to the extent that several large instances have either 

 access for their users to journa.host, a practice in Fediverse called defederation.

The controversy exhibits a dominant culture of Mastodon is supportive of heavy moderation, especially of users and content that is viewed as conservative.

If users were given the freedom to exit, overzealously censorious instances should not be a problem. Empowering user choice of moderation policy is the premise of content-moderation subsidiarity after all. In reality, however, moving an account in Mastodon is not as easy as some proponents suggested. User handles in Fediverse are like email addresses (such as @kcchu@mastodon.social). The hostname of the server is part of the handle, which means that migrating to another Mastodon instance requires changing the user handle and renders links to old profile and posts obsolete. While Mastodon allows users to setup redirection from their old profile to new profile, relocating data of old posts is not currently possible. Also, redirection may not be an option if the old instance no longer exists (such as 

) or the old account is suspended. This can result in users having to start over, losing their previous content and followers.

The practice of defederation in the Fediverse is also problematic. Any Mastodon server admins can decide to cut ties with another instance entirely, rendering posts from the blocked instance unavailable for its users and preventing users of the blocked instance from commenting, replying or direct messaging their users.

Defederation is common among Mastodon instances. While the idea of content-moderation subsidiarity advocates for individual instances to make their own content moderation decisions, in practice, it is not feasible for volunteering moderators of an instance to oversee content on all federated instances. It follows that when another connected instance has lenient content moderation standards, many admins choose to defederate the entire instance. It treats all users of the defederated instances as violators, even if only a few users are causing controversy, like what occurred with journa.host. Even largest Mastodon instances are not immune to this. mastodon.social, run by Mastodon’s creator Eugen Rochko, is also facing 

Defederation as a last-ditch nuclear option to block instances because of spam or abuse is fine. But when the blocklist becomes a protest to other instances’ moderation policy or capacity, endless infighting is warranted. Instances are tempted to change the blocklist into an 

 because it is easier to manage. This situation turned Mastodon into balkanized networks of polarizing echo chambers, forcing instance admins to either adopt the strictest content moderation policy or risk being isolated from most of the Mastodon users. The outcome is a spiral of censorship, silencing even slight deviations from the dominating opinion. It makes it impossible to honestly discuss controversial topics from different perspectives without causing a controversy.

While some may prefer to interact only with like-minded people, others are discouraged by this culture. Due to the significant power that instance admins hold over their users, selecting which instance to join can be a major hurdle for first-time users. These problems diminish the platform's potential as a social internet that replaces Twitter.

Some may say that silencing misinformation, racist, sexist, homophobic, and transphobic speech in the network is a feature, not a bug. They argue that these bad speech has no social value and seriously harmful to the people who are its targets as well as to society at large, and thus should be removed from the entire network (or even society as a whole).

While this essay is not intended to be a philosophical discussion on freedom of speech, I invite readers to read the classic argument from 

. Mill argued that when we engage others in defending our opinions it deepens our understanding of our beliefs and prevents them from slipping into dogmas. (Further reading: 

We are dealing here with bad speech, not incitement of immediate violence, which is already prohibited under law. The limitation of freedom of speech to prevent direct and immediate harm to others, such as the spread of false claims about COVID-19 vaccines during a global emergency of pandemic, can well be justified under Mill's principle of harm. However, such restrictions should be exceptional and must be necessary and proportionate to achieve legitimate objectives.

free speech is not the same as free reach

,” as Reneé DiResta suggested. (No, it is not originated from Elon Musk.) Exercising the freedom of speech does not mean that everyone has to listen. 

Today’s internet is mediated by algorithms. The job of the algorithm is to surface relevant content and predict what we want to see next. Algorithms are an important tool to help us make sense of the overwhelming amount of information online. It also shapes our attention by controlling our news feeds and recommendations. Unlike free speech, there is no right to algorithmic amplification.

Perhaps we cannot prevent jerks from using the social internet, but we surely can build a system where we don’t have to hear them.

But then the question is who can and should have the power to select what a user hears. There are rightly concerns about bias in these algorithms and their lack of transparency. And I argue that the key to this problem is user choice, or the “freedom to filter.”

The social internet should empower users to choose which method or algorithms for filtering. Users could delegate control of their feed to one or a mix of recommendation services run by communities, commercial providers, or other institutions. We should establish a marketplace of algorithm that offers diversity, transparency and accountability.

The foundation of a true open social internet rely on several key technological capabilities:

Two projects are currently in the race of this category: 

One notable feature of AT Protocol is its integration the idea of “Freedom of speech, but not freedom of reach” within its protocol architecture. The network is separated into the “speech" and "reach" layers. The "speech" layer is intended to remain neutral, distributing authority and ensuring everyone has a voice, while the "reach" layer is built for flexibility and scalability. The base layer of AT Protocol, consisting of Personal Data Repositories and Federated Networking, creates a common space for speech where everyone is free to participate, similar to the Web where anyone can put up a website. Indexing services then aggregate content from the network, allowing for reach and searchability, similar to a search engine.

On top of the separation of layers, AT Protocol, particularly the Bluesky client, plans to support an ecosystem of third-party providers for 

. They are developing a composable labeling system, enabling anyone to define and apply "labels" to content or accounts (such as "spam" or "nsfw"). Any service or person in the network can then choose how these labels are used to determine the final user experience.

The issue of free speech versus safety is a false dichotomy. Both are essential components of a healthy and inclusive social internet. While it is crucial to ensure a safe online environment, it must not come at the expense of limiting free expression. By devolving content moderation decisions to individual instances and providing users with the freedom to choose, we can achieve a balance between free speech and safety. At its core, respecting the right of user choice is an essential step toward building a social internet that works for everyone in this world. 

And why Mastodon is a dead end?

Content Moderation Trilemma of the Social Internet

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