Web3 social is the collection of protocols, applications, and tools to create a more decentralized, permissionless, fair, and open social media experience. Web3 social utilizes blockchain technology to maintain these properties. The Web3 tech stack has several layers: blockchain layer, storage layer, social graph layer, application layer, and infrastructure layer.

Here, I will mainly talk about the social graph and application layers and how it opens up possibilities for a more humane social media experience.

The problem introduced

Social media outlets are fun and valuable only when they have reached a certain threshold of network effects. In other words, people use Facebook only when their social graph does so and switch to Instagram when their social network does so. This dynamic creates a vast moat around social media companies and turns them into giants. Because whoever owns the users owns your social graph. This monopoly is further worsened when these social media companies collect so much data about you that they can train the best algorithm that makes you "feel good" and spend more time on the platform. Combining this algorithm with targeted ads is the recipe for success.

Owning the social graph

Lens Protocol disrupts this Web2 business model of "locking users in" by allowing you to own your data and making the social graph a public good for teams to build on top. Some of the terms in this sentence deserve an explanation. "Locking users in" means that social media companies own your social graph (i.e., your friends, followers, fans, audience, etc.) and your data for themselves or sell it to advertisers (but not other social media outlets). "Owning your data" is hard to grasp since most social media users are unaware of what data refers to in this context and that even it is something you can own. Here, it refers to the collection of your posts, comments, profile information, and social graph (basically your complete footprint on a social media outlet). 

Who owns the data?

Since we now understand what data refers to, let's see who owns it. Until recently, you did not have the option to request your data from social media platforms. Once you request it, you have to wait for some time to be able to download it. Once downloaded, it is useless since you can no longer render the social media experience with it. Of course, you will have all your posts, but your wall or your timeline is gone for good. If you delete your profile, platforms tell you to think twice for 30 days. They can ban you from their platform, and you can no longer access your social graph or content. You do not even own your social media handle (@ekoverse, in my case). You borrow it.

Enter Lens Protocol

Lens Protocol lets you own your data and store it on a blockchain address. Your profile is linked to your social media handle (@ekoverse.lens) and comes as an NFT. Your posts are an append-only array linked to your profile NFT, which sits in your Web3 wallet (MetaMask or similar). Each time you follow a profile, you get a "follow NFT" of that person, which again sits in your Web3 wallet. Having self-custody of your data (profile, entries, and social graph) is in sharp contrast to having your data stored on the backend of some social media giant. You are no longer at the mercy of some tech giant to access your social graph. Effectively, paraphrasing David Silverman's words (davidev.lens), you have your data in a backpack and carry it with you. You can go to any frontend application built on top of Lens and let it render it into a social media experience for you. Not content with the results? Sign out and move to the next.

Why the social media innovation stifled?

Until the advent of the Lens Protocol (still in the Web2 realm), creating a social media experience ground up was unbelievably expensive. Paraphrasing again from Stani Kulechov and David Silverman (@stani.lens, @davidev.lens), a newcomer, such as TikTok or Clubhouse, has to spend billions of dollars on user acquisition to get the network effects going. Else, Meta, Twitter, or some other more prominent player who owns the social graph and already has trained algorithms will copy your hottest feature, and you will be out of business. Examples of this are Snapchat introducing the "story" and *"*expiring message" features to be copied by Instagram. Or Clubhouse being, for the most part, replaced by Twitter Spaces. If the Lens ecosystem can flourish (pun intended), we might see Web2 companies having to review their business practices or realize that Lens might eat them up. 

Opening up new design spaces

The opportunity to quickly spin up a social media frontend or feed algorithm allows you to collaborate with the larger Lens ecosystem without turning it into a zero-sum game of user acquisition, where billions are spent. Instead, I see a vast design space for creating more humane social media algorithms and frontends. Algorithms that do not incite hatred, cause polarization, not create positive feedback loops with constant gratification, are not addictive, reward positive conduct, and slow down the spread of misinformation, all without censorship. As a social science researcher, I plan to tap into the growing body of literature on social media and identify the problems. Unlike most scientists who had to stop there and not put the fruitful findings into production, I am willing to share some best practices and guidelines and consult Web3 applications building on top of Lens.

Before you go, if we have not become frens already

Disclaimer: The author is not affiliated with any of the entities above. This document is not an offer, nor the solicitation of an offer, to buy or sell any of the assets mentioned herein. The views expressed in this post are not, and should not be construed as, investment advice or recommendations. This post is intended for informational purposes only. Visual materials and copyrights belong to their respective owners.