Decentralized Social (DeSoc)

Identity is decoupled from platforms via self-sovereign identity standards like Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) and Verifiable Credentials (VCs). Users control their social graph, profile data, and reputation, which are portable across any compatible application.

• Example: The W3C DID standard allows a user to prove they own a social handle without relying on a central registry.
• Mechanism: Cryptographic keys stored in a user's wallet act as the root of their identity, enabling permissionless login and data sovereignty.

Social connections (follows, likes, communities) are recorded as public, immutable state on a blockchain or decentralized data protocol. This creates a composable social layer that any application can read and write to, breaking platform silos.

• Protocol Examples: Lens Protocol stores profiles and follows as NFTs on Polygon. Farcaster stores user data on its own blockchain with social actions as signed messages.
• Benefit: A developer can build a new client (app) that instantly accesses a user's existing network, reducing cold-start problems.

Actual content (posts, images, videos) is stored off-chain in decentralized storage networks like IPFS, Arweave, or Ceramic. The on-chain record contains only content-addressed pointers (e.g., IPFS Content Identifiers or CIDs).

• Key Concept: Content Addressing means data is referenced by its cryptographic hash, guaranteeing integrity. The same file hash always points to the same content.
• Censorship Resistance: No single entity can delete the underlying data from the network, only the pointer from a specific application's view.

Governance and content ranking are managed through cryptoeconomic mechanisms rather than centralized algorithms. Users stake tokens to signal quality, vote on proposals, or participate in community moderation.

• Curation Markets: Projects like Mirror use token voting to decide which content gets promoted. DeSo uses creator coins to align incentives.
• Moderation DAOs: Communities can form Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) where token-holding members vote on content policies and enforcement actions.

Social capital is made explicit and transferable through on-chain attestations and soulbound tokens (SBTs). These non-transferable tokens represent achievements, memberships, or endorsements that are permanently linked to a user's identity.

• Use Case: A user could earn a SBT for being a top contributor in a DAO, which then grants them reputation-weighted voting power in a unrelated DeSoc application.
• Standard: The EIP-5114 proposal outlines a standard for soulbound badges on Ethereum, enabling interoperable reputation systems.

The core innovation is the separation of the protocol layer (the rules and data) from the client layer (the user interface). Multiple independent front-end applications (clients) can interact with the same underlying social data.

• Analogy: Like email (SMTP protocol) vs. email clients (Gmail, Outlook). You can switch clients without losing your contacts or messages.
• Result: This enables permissionless innovation at the application level and prevents vendor lock-in, as user choice shifts to the client experience rather than the network itself.

A self-sovereign identity standard that allows users to create and control a portable digital identity without relying on a central authority. DIDs are typically anchored on a blockchain and can be used to sign in across different applications.

• Key Standard: W3C Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs).
• Examples: Ethereum Name Service (ENS) names, Ceramic Network's 3ID.
• Function: Serves as the root identifier for a user's social graph, credentials, and content.

A decentralized data structure that maps the relationships (e.g., follows, likes, connections) between users. Unlike traditional platforms, this graph is stored on a public, permissionless protocol, making it portable and composable.

• Storage: Often uses decentralized networks like Ceramic or IPFS.
• Protocol Example: Lens Protocol's profile and follow NFTs.
• Benefit: Users can take their social connections to any front-end application built on the same protocol.

The infrastructure for storing user-generated content (posts, images, videos) in a resilient, decentralized manner. This ensures data persists independently of any single application's servers.

• Primary Layer: InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) for content-addressed storage.
• Indexing Layer: Protocols like The Graph for querying and organizing this decentralized data.
• Goal: Prevent platform lock-in and ensure content remains accessible even if an app shuts down.

The on-chain logic layer where the core social primitives are defined and enforced. These are sets of smart contracts deployed on a blockchain that govern profiles, interactions, and monetization rules.

• Function: Manages the minting of profile NFTs, handles follows, and executes collect (monetization) actions.
• Examples: Lens Protocol's core contracts on Polygon, Farcaster's Id Registry and Key Registry on Optimism.
• Result: Provides a shared, verifiable rulebook for all applications in the ecosystem.

The principle of multiple, interoperable front-end applications (clients) interacting with the same underlying protocol. This separates the user interface from the data and logic layer.

• Client Examples: Orb, Phaver, and Buttrfly are all clients for the Lens Protocol.
• Farcaster Frames: Interactive mini-apps embedded within casts (posts) that any client can render.
• Advantage: Users choose their preferred interface while maintaining access to the same social network and data.

Decentralized mechanisms for community-led curation and moderation. Instead of a central team, token holders vote to include or exclude content, users, or applications from a registry.

• Use Case: Maintaining a list of trusted apps, filtering spam, or enforcing community guidelines.
• Mechanism: Users stake tokens to propose or challenge listings, with economic incentives for honest participation.
• Goal: Achieve scalable, adversarial-resistant moderation without a single point of control.

A sufficiently decentralized social protocol built on Ethereum and Optimism. It provides a foundational layer for social apps, separating user identity (via Farcaster ID) from the client applications (like Warpcast). Key features include:

• On-chain identity with an Ethereum address as the root.
• Off-chain data hubs for scalable, cost-efficient storage of posts and social graphs.
• An open ecosystem where any developer can build a client or read public data.

A composable and decentralized social graph on Polygon. User profiles are NFTs that own their connections and content, enabling portable reputation and monetization. Core mechanics include:

• Profile NFTs as the sovereign identity.
• Publications (posts, mirrors, comments) stored on IPFS or Arweave.
• Follow NFTs and collect modules that allow creators to monetize directly.
• Full interoperability; apps like Lenster and Orb built on top.

A federated social network protocol promoting account portability and algorithmic choice. While not blockchain-native, its Authenticated Transfer Protocol (AT Protocol) shares DeSoc principles:

• Decentralized identifiers (DIDs) as portable accounts.
• Interoperable namespaces via handle domains.
• A federated network of independent servers (personal data servers).
• Composable moderation and open curation markets.

A layer-1 blockchain specifically architected for social applications, storing profile data and content directly on-chain. It aims to scale social data storage economically.

• Native social tokens and creator coins.
• On-chain profiles, posts, and social graphs.
• A built-in Diamond tipping feature.
• Apps like Diamond and Desofy are built on the DeSo blockchain.

The foundational credential layer for DeSoc, enabling self-sovereign identity. Users control their identifiers and verifiable credentials without central registries.

• W3C DID standard: A URI pointing to a DID document.
• Verifiable Credentials (VCs): Tamper-proof, cryptographically signed claims.
• Key technologies: Ceramic Network (streams for mutable data), ENS (readable naming), and Sign-In with Ethereum (SIWE).

Critical infrastructure for hosting profile data and user-generated content in a censorship-resistant manner. DeSoc protocols rely on these systems for data persistence.

• IPFS (InterPlanetary File System): Content-addressed storage for immutable data.
• Arweave: Permaweb storage with a one-time fee for permanent data.
• Filecoin: A decentralized storage network with a built-in incentive layer.
• Ceramic: Composable data streams for mutable, versioned data.

A Decentralized Identifier (DID) is a portable, self-sovereign digital identity not dependent on a central registry, like a social media platform. It is a core component of user-centric identity in DeSoc.

• Key Property: Users control the private keys, enabling them to prove ownership and authenticate across applications without intermediaries.
• Standardization: Defined by the W3C, DIDs use a URI format (e.g., did:key:... or did:ethr:...).
• Use Case: Serves as the foundational identifier for social graphs, credentials, and on-chain reputations.

A Verifiable Credential (VC) is a tamper-evident, cryptographically signed attestation (like a diploma or membership card) that can be issued and verified in a decentralized manner.

• Structure: Contains claims (e.g., "has over 10k followers"), metadata, and a digital signature from the issuer.
• Portability: Stored in a user's digital wallet, VCs can be presented to any verifier without contacting the original issuer.
• DeSoc Application: Enables portable reputation, proof-of-personhood (e.g., World ID), and verified community roles.

A social graph is a map of relationships (follows, likes, connections) between users. In DeSoc, this graph is often decoupled from the application layer and stored on a public protocol.

• Decentralization: Protocols like Lens Protocol and Farcaster store social graphs on-chain or in decentralized networks, making them portable and composable.
• Composability: Any new application can permissionlessly read and build upon an existing social graph, reducing platform lock-in.
• Contrast: Unlike centralized platforms (e.g., Twitter's proprietary graph), a user's decentralized social graph is a portable asset.

Data Sovereignty is the principle that users have ultimate ownership and control over their personal data, including profile information, posts, and social connections.

• Technical Implementation: Achieved through encrypted data storage on decentralized networks (e.g., IPFS, Arweave) and user-controlled access keys.
• User Rights: Users can grant or revoke application permissions, delete data at its source, and migrate their entire social footprint.
• Core Promise: Shifts the data ownership model from "platform-as-owner" to "user-as-custodian," a foundational tenet of DeSoc.

A Smart Contract Wallet (or Account Abstraction wallet) is a blockchain account governed by programmable logic, not just a private key. It is essential for managing complex social interactions on-chain.

• Capabilities: Enables social recovery (friends can help recover access), transaction batching, gas sponsorship, and permission rules.
• DeSoc Role: Allows for seamless, secure user experiences, such as paying for actions with ERC-20 tokens or having a community moderate a wallet's actions.
• Examples: Safe (formerly Gnosis Safe) and ERC-4337 standard account abstraction wallets.

In DeSoc, content moderation is reconceived as a cryptoeconomic design challenge, using incentives and decentralized mechanisms rather than top-down editorial control.

• Approaches:
  • Staked Moderation: Users stake tokens to flag content; they lose stake if the community disagrees.
  • Decentralized Courts: Systems like Kleros or Aragon Court provide crowd-sourced arbitration for disputes.
  • Algorithmic Choice: Users or communities can subscribe to different, transparent moderation algorithms or labeling systems.
• Goal: To create scalable, transparent, and community-aligned moderation without a central authority.