In this tutorial, you will learn exactly what DeSo is, how it compares to applications like Twitter and Facebook, how you can earn crypto just by posting a message and why it's the future of social media.
What is DeSo
DeSo stands for Decentralized Social and is a new kind of internet where all social media content exists openly on a blockchain. Because the content is on a blockchain, which is scaled across many computers all around the world, no one person or central authority can own the data, hence the term Decentralized.
Centralized vs Decentralized
You might be wondering, "Is DeSo then like Twitter or Facebook"? And the answer is "no", because DeSo is so much bigger. To understand it, let's use the following example:
When you posted a Tweet on Twitter's website, did that tweet appear on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn? It didn't. This is because behind the Twitter app is a platform that is owned by Twitter, where all tweets, user profiles, images and videos are stored. Twitter is what is known as a centralized social media platform, because they own the data and govern what content or user accounts can exist. Nearly every other social media platform at present falls into this category.
The problem with this setup is that you, the User, have become the product and advertisers, the Customer. Absolutely everything you say and do on these platforms is analyzed by the company that owns it. This data is then used to sell targeted advertising and worse, influence you via your social feed to better benefit advertisers.
A new kind of Social Media
But what if your post didn't exist only on Facebook's platform, but rather on an open platform that can be used by any social media application? What if you were a Twitter user and decided to start using Instagram, but instead of having to create a new account there, and rebrand yourself on a new platform, your current profile, followers, who you're following and all your activities are automatically available. You would be able to continue on Instagram where you left off on Twitter.
DeSo is the solution that makes all of this possible and eliminates the downsides of a centralized social media platform. It's not a Facebook or Twitter lookalike, but rather, it's the underlying system that stores and manages all content that would be created and referenced by social media applications.
On DeSo, you will only ever need a single user account to access any of the applications that have been developed on the DeSo blockchain. Everything you say and do on any of the applications will be linked to your account.
Applications on the DeSo Blockchain
At the time of this tutorial, there are over 200 applications that exist on the DeSo blockchain. A few that are worth mentioning are:
Diamond App
Diamond is one of the first applications to be developed on DeSo. Diamond's features are similar to Twitter, in that you can post, like, retweet, follow and send direct messages. However, because Diamond is built on top of a blockchain, there are a number of additional features:
- Using DeSo's crypto coin ($DESO), you can reward users crypto for their posts or be rewarded for yours
- Any post can also be converted into a NFT, which can be transferred, sold or auctioned on the DeSo blockchain
- Every user profile has their own crypto token called Creator Coin. This allows others to invest in you as a content creator and vice versa
Overclout
Overclout is similar to Diamond, but allows you to post stories, livestream or create rich text content such as articles and tutorials.
DeSocialWorld
DeSocialWorld provides social media content in multiple languages.
Mousai
Mousai allows you to stream music and invest in your favorite artists.
Entre
Entre is a professional network similar to LinkedIn.
These are but a few of the many applications that exist on the DeSo blockchain and the list continues to grow.
Closing
With decentralized content, post-2-earn capabilities and a vast range of social media applications, DeSo has become a blockchain like no other and is truly the future of social media.
