New paper: Content Creators at a Crossroads with Decentralised Social Media

Social media platforms and content creators benefit each other: social media platforms depend on the content made by creators, while creators rely on these platforms to share their content, expand their audience, and… make money. However, some content creators argue that mainstream, centralised social media (CSM) platforms like Facebook or Twitter have too much power and, over time, implemented rules, features, and monetisation mechanisms that hurt these creators’ ability to earn money and succeed in the long run.

Could decentralised social media platforms like Mastodon, Bluesky or Steemit present an attractive proposition for content creators?

In the paper “Content Creators at a Crossroads with Decentralised Social Media”, Hamid Khobzi, Mohammad Sadegh Ramezani and I unpack how the socio-technical aspects of decentralised social media (DSM) platforms present opportunities and challenges for content creators. 

We consider two types of DSM (see Figure 1): 

• Platforms that operate on distributed networks of servers 

• Platforms that run on blockchain technology

Figure 1. Social Media Typology based on their key IT infrastructural differences.

In the paper, we examine in detail the potential and limitations of these two types of DSM to address the three key concerns for social media content creators: i) monetisation, ii) content moderation, and iii) privacy and security, as summarised in table 1. (the letters F and B stand forfederated and blockchain-based DSM, respectively).

Table 1. Summary of technical, formal and informal aspects of DSM

	Monetisation	Content Moderation	Privacy & Security
Technical	– Cryptocurrencies implemented upon blockchain. (B) – Platform affordances that facilitate monetary transactions, e.g. subscription, voting, etc. (F, B)	– Decentralised / distributed arrangement of data servers (blocks) preventing control of information by a single entity. (F, B) – The irreversibility and transparent nature of blockchain. (B)	– Decentralised / distributed arrangement of data servers (blocks) obstructing breach of data. (F, B) – Cryptographic and irreversible nature of blockchain. (B) – Security features offered by the third-party data servers and services used by the platform and users hosting servers of platforms. (F, B)
Formal	– Platform’s terms of services on finances, e.g. formulations translating online interactions to revenue, service fees, no ad revenue, etc. (F, B) – Platform’s strategy for managing its token economy, e.g. token distribution, burns, etc. (B)   – Finances required to run data servers. (F) – Local government’s financial regulations. (F, B)	– Platform’s terms of services on what content is permitted on the platform and its level of tolerance. (F, B) – Local government’s laws and regulations on illegal online activities. (F, B)	– Privacy policy of the platform. (F, B) – Privacy Policy of third-party data servers and services used. (F, B) – Local government’s data regulations. (F, B)
Informal	– The shared belief about the desired and expected independence of content creators. (F, B) – Forming communities, alliances, and partnerships to maximise monetary benefits. (F, B) – The shared understanding (and consensus) on community monetary contributions to cover running costs of the hosting server. (F)	– The shared belief about the desired and expected fair treatment of freedom of expression. (F, B) –  The shared understanding (and consensus) about content permitted on a platform server between server administrator and their community. (F)	– The shared belief about the desired and expected safety and protection when using the platform. (F, B) – The shared understanding (and consensus) about managing data servers between server administrator and their community. (F)

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Furthermore, we present various recommendations for content creators, with specific examples, including that:

• DSM plaforms are appealing for new content creators, and those targeting niche topics. For content creators already established on CSM, we recommend adopting DSM as an additional channel, leveraging both platforms to maximise benefits: CSM to provide visibility, and DSM to provide monetisation and content flexibility.

• Content creators for whom earning money straightaway is a priority should opt for a blockchain-based DSM like DTube, Odysee or Steemit. Content creators mainly motivated by freedom of expression should opt for a blockchain-based DSM or host their own server on a federated DSM like Mastodon or PeerTube. Content creators concerned with their personal safety, such as those belonging to a persecuted group, should consider hosting their own server on a federated DSM.

The paper is available open-access here.