Looks like Facebook and Instagram may be welcoming a new member to the Meta family. The social behemoth has just confirmed that they are working on a text-based social network app designed to compete with Twitter and Mastodon.
As a Meta spokesperson confirmed in statements to major news outlets like the BBC, ”We’re exploring a standalone decentralized social network for sharing text updates. We believe there’s an opportunity for a separate space where creators and public figures can share timely updates about their interests.”
The new app, apparently codenamed P92, will allow users to log in using their existing Instagram accounts.
In some ways, this news feels like an inevitable next step for Meta. Instagram debuted its text-only Notes feature just last year, which sparked speculation that Meta may be exploring their own Twitter-like tool.
The biggest surprise may be the decentralized nature of this new app. Traditionally, Meta has maintained a tight grip on all aspects of its platforms. A decentralized app would allow users to create Reddit-like servers or communities with their own rules. In theory, it may even enable third-party developers to build new tools or features for the app.
(For more on decentralized social networks, check out our guide to Mastodon.)
There’s no word yet on an official release date for the new app.
Continue the conversation on Reddit
Comments 0