Flipboard, the social magazine app, had previously committed to joining the decentralized social web, known as the “fediverse,” which includes platforms like Mastodon. In a recent announcement, Flipboard is intensifying its dedication to decentralized social media by ceasing its activity on Twitter/X and simultaneously launching a new podcast focused on exploring decentralized social media.
In an official statement, Flipboard explained that it is suspending its Twitter/X activity to concentrate more on the decentralized social web. The company emphasized the importance of aligning its social presence with platforms that share its values of promoting trusted journalism, expert voices, and quality information. As a result, Flipboard is shifting its focus to Mastodon and other open social platforms, occasionally using Twitter/X for retweeting creators and curators but not actively posting updates.
In light of these changes, Flipboard’s community and support teams will be active on Mastodon, while keeping its Twitter/X accounts active solely to protect its brand, as the platform has been seeking buyers for dormant usernames.
Flipboard pointed to X’s rollback of moderation policies, leading to an increase in harmful rhetoric and hate speech, as a contributing factor to its decision. The company expressed concern about platform decisions that promote false narratives and disinformation, asserting that such changes go against its values, motivating the move to the decentralized social web.
Following Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, Flipboard, like other tech companies, embraced decentralized social media. Despite challenges from Twitter’s API restrictions and pricing adjustments, Flipboard not only transitioned its Twitter integration to Mastodon and Bluesky but also established its Mastodon server and online community. The company committed to integrating its app with ActivityPub, the protocol powering Mastodon and other decentralized social apps, and curated the fediverse with editorial “desks” to enhance news and discovery on Mastodon.
In a further dive into the fediverse, Flipboard CEO Mike McCue launched the “Dot Social” podcast, exploring the societal, cultural, and technical aspects of the decentralized social web. The podcast features guests such as Techdirt founder Mike Masnick, Mozilla CEO Mitchell Baker, Medium CEO Tony Stubblebine, ActivityPub contributor Evan Prodromou, BBC R&D leader Ian Forrester, Wired co-founder John Battelle, and Dewey Digital co-founder Tim Chambers.
Despite the challenges posed by Musk’s changes to Twitter, Flipboard aims to leverage its experience in curating the web as it navigates the shift to decentralized social media. Other tech companies, including Medium, Automattic, Mozilla, and Instagram’s Threads, have also embraced Mastodon and are exploring decentralized social networking futures.
