Instagram Threads is not the sole app embracing the decentralized social web; other contenders include Mastodon, a rival to Twitter/X, along with various apps incorporating support for the ActivityPub networking protocol. Flipboard, a social magazine app, has recently declared its integration with ActivityPub. Initially, specific Flipboard accounts will be discoverable and followable by the decentralized social app user base, including Mastodon’s millions of users. Eventually, all Flipboard profiles will be accessible in the fediverse, the decentralized social app network.
Earlier this year, Flipboard expressed its intention to join the fediverse and began the process by integrating with Mastodon via an API, establishing its Mastodon server (flipboard.social), and learning from decentralized social media interactions. This move was prompted by Twitter/X raising API fees, making continued collaboration unsustainable for many developers. Flipboard’s primary function is to curate web-based news and information into social “magazines,” relying on platforms like Twitter for content. However, it shifted to Mastodon and Bluesky due to the API fee increase.
Now, Flipboard is becoming a federated social app, initiating the integration with select accounts, including publishers and nonprofits. Flipboard CEO Mike McCue explained that the company first integrated with Mastodon at the API level, allowing users to interact with the fediverse from Flipboard. The upcoming changes involve rolling out ActivityPub integration, breaking down the walls around Flipboard’s walled garden.
With the integration, when users curate content into their social magazines on Flipboard, known as “flips,” it will also appear as posts on their Mastodon accounts. All Flipboard users will have one Flipboard.com account connected to the fediverse, even if they host multiple magazines. Users can opt out of having their flips posted on Mastodon, with the default experience being opted-in. The company aims to have all user accounts connected to the fediverse by the end of January.
Flipboard, with over 10,000 social magazine publishers and a quarter million individual curators, could significantly impact the fediverse. Other tech companies, including Instagram Threads, Automattic, Medium, and Mozilla, are also embracing decentralized social media. Flipboard, running off its profits, sees federated social media as the future of the web, emphasizing the intricate connections between people and content. As Flipboard evolves, it may reconsider its front-end design to align with the federated social media landscape.
