When we register on a social media platform for the first time, it’s almost an instinct now to follow a recommended list of celebrities, topics you’re interested in, and sync your phone contacts or Facebook for friends you may know. We take these recommendation algorithms for granted so much that we ignore the question: how are these lists generated?
Of course, we agreed to grant them access to our personal data, who we are and how we are related to other people. While connecting us to our friends, these social media platforms are also collecting, storing, securing, and monetizing on these data, our data, for advertising revenue. And that, is a problem. Trying to provide solutions, a number of startups are able to leverage blockchain technology and decentralized storage systems to not only conceptualize but realize Web3 standards and applications, and CyberConnect is one of them. A decentralized social graph protocol, CyberConnect powers the Metaverse and Dapps with better human interaction and connection.
What do you mean by social graph?
An important chunk of data that we’re giving up to centralized Web2 social media are our social relations, who we’re connected to and how. Based on these individual connections, social media giants such as Facebook are able to create a social graph, a global mapping of connections, some of which we might not even be able to trace. For example, John’s mother’s sister-in-law’s niece is Jane’s husband’s friend’s wife, or Donald’s uncle’s eldest grandson is dating Daisy’s colleague’s daughter, etc. You get the idea. In the current era of Web2, companies spend lavishly to acquire such data and build their own dispersed social graphs - walled gardens, which are, ironically, deemed the most valuable asset and quintessential to their ad-driven business model.
So, what’s wrong?
Well, a lot. Insecure and inefficient use of data, demonetization of content, high barrier to entry for developers, the list goes on and on. We’ll specifically address the essentials.
For users and consumers, there’s always a high switching cost to a new platform, re-registering an account, re-following their friends, getting frustrated when some don’t follow back. Imagine if there’s a universal login, which already exists thanks to the Ethereum address, and within which stores all of your connections. Every time when you log into a new platform with this account, you can view friends and followings from all your other platforms. This social graph data becomes your personal and portable asset that you can just pack up and leave, breaking down the wall between platforms and communities. What’s even better is that you get to actually own your personal data for the first time, deciding what to put in the safe and what’s good for display.
The bigger obstacle yet stands for developers. Today’s social media space is not only more centralized than the financial sector but probably more competitive as well. For each application that tries to make real inroads in this overcrowded space, developers need to rebuild a new social graph every time. It takes time, money, effort, and a sprinkle of luck. However, what if there is one open-sourced social graph, free of a centralized owner and for everyone to build upon? Any application with robust utility and entertainment can easily bloom, without wasting the most resources on rebuilding something that already exists.
What the solution looks like
CyberConnect is a decentralized social graph protocol that supports Web3 infrastructure and invites applications to build upon. We provide a standardized social graph module that is open-sourced and blockchain agnostic. A community-owned social graph and portable data bring infinite possibilities to Web3 games, messaging apps, newsfeeds, the Metaverse, and so much more, smashing the wall between communities and redefining human interaction. To get a taste, we have also developed CyberChat to demonstrate how graph data can be utilized.
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