By John Ikani
Facebook owner Meta has confirmed reports that it is working on a new social media network for “text sharing” to rival Twitter.
The move comes after Twitter suffered a series of outages, layoffs, and saw advertisers leave due to the lack of content moderation, following Elon Musk’s takeover of the company in October.
Despite the challenges faced by Twitter, no major alternative has emerged, forcing global leaders, politicians, celebrities, and companies to continue using the platform.
While confirming the reports by Platformer and India-based Moneycontrol, Meta said it was beginning work on the new platform.
In a brief email statement, Meta, which also owns Instagram, stated that it was exploring a standalone, decentralized social network for sharing text updates.
It further stated that it believed there was an opportunity for a separate space where creators and public figures could share timely updates about their interests.
Reports suggest that the new app would use technology to allow it to be interoperable with niche network Mastodon and other platforms, allowing users to broadcast posts to people on other networks.
Mastodon operates from decentralized computing servers, with no central management or authority calling the shots.
This would be a departure from the norm for tech giants, where platforms are kept behind technological walls and operate using company servers under strict rules.
