<![CDATA[What does "the Fediverse" mean?]]>What does "the Fediverse" mean?

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/topic/56b0cb8c-065e-437c-84d9-99ebc8e093f0/what-does-the-fediverse-meanRSS for NodeMon, 27 Jul 2026 00:57:22 GMTFri, 24 Jul 2026 13:54:37 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to What does "the Fediverse" mean? on Sat, 25 Jul 2026 17:08:59 GMT]]>@evan I chose network and this is mostly how I use it. I think it is the important meaning too. With my friends we sometimes use "fediverse" to refer to a culture, but that is mostly as a joke - e.g. if we see someone on the street that looks like a stereotypical fediverse user. It's a fun game we play trying to get at the hidden patterns of this user base. I want fediverse to continue to facilitate a home for that culture, but ultimately I also want other cultures here - many.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://radikal.social/users/malte/statuses/116981716726867731https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://radikal.social/users/malte/statuses/116981716726867731Sat, 25 Jul 2026 17:08:59 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to What does "the Fediverse" mean? on Sat, 25 Jul 2026 15:52:52 GMT]]>My work at and W3C is about making this network open to everyone, and encouraging implementers. I'm going to continue doing this.

Anyway, my answer: network.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://cosocial.ca/users/evan/statuses/116981417386323256https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://cosocial.ca/users/evan/statuses/116981417386323256Sat, 25 Jul 2026 15:52:52 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to What does "the Fediverse" mean? on Sat, 25 Jul 2026 15:51:12 GMT]]>I don't like the tendency of some people to brigade projects or people they think are a threat to the culture. It's an ugly process. I was disappointed to see some of the replies to the post on Reddit, here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/fediverse/comments/1v2mt69/i_built_a_full_fediverse_service_that_runs_100_on/

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://cosocial.ca/users/evan/statuses/116981410835705749https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://cosocial.ca/users/evan/statuses/116981410835705749Sat, 25 Jul 2026 15:51:12 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to What does "the Fediverse" mean? on Sat, 25 Jul 2026 15:46:37 GMT]]>@evan Anyone can participate so long as they're not absolute throbbers. The technical standard aspect is transparent to them, as it should be.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://infosec.exchange/users/davep/statuses/116981392821744114https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://infosec.exchange/users/davep/statuses/116981392821744114Sat, 25 Jul 2026 15:46:37 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to What does "the Fediverse" mean? on Sat, 25 Jul 2026 15:46:33 GMT]]>I understand people's concerns with protecting the culture, and I'm fine with people using the tools at hand to protect it -- like blocklists and defederation. If you think some software or some community is bad for the culture, you should use the tools available to protect it.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://cosocial.ca/users/evan/statuses/116981392566555858https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://cosocial.ca/users/evan/statuses/116981392566555858Sat, 25 Jul 2026 15:46:33 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to What does "the Fediverse" mean? on Sat, 25 Jul 2026 15:45:22 GMT]]>I use "Fediverse" for both a network and a culture. I also use "ActivityPub network" or "Open social web" for the network itself. I think it's very important to make the network as open, permissionless, and connected as possible. Everyone on the planet has a right to be on that network.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://cosocial.ca/users/evan/statuses/116981387921210984https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://cosocial.ca/users/evan/statuses/116981387921210984Sat, 25 Jul 2026 15:45:22 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to What does "the Fediverse" mean? on Sat, 25 Jul 2026 15:43:24 GMT]]>If you think of the Fediverse as an open, permissionless network, then a lot of the shibboleths go away. Anyone can join the network -- and anyone else can choose whether or not to communicate with them.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://cosocial.ca/users/evan/statuses/116981380172623322https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://cosocial.ca/users/evan/statuses/116981380172623322Sat, 25 Jul 2026 15:43:24 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to What does "the Fediverse" mean? on Sat, 25 Jul 2026 15:42:30 GMT]]>If you think of the Fediverse as a set of principles -- decentralization, open standards, open source, anti-capitalism -- then questions about who can participate depends on if they accept and represent most, or all, of those principles.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://cosocial.ca/users/evan/statuses/116981376662092432https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://cosocial.ca/users/evan/statuses/116981376662092432Sat, 25 Jul 2026 15:42:30 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to What does "the Fediverse" mean? on Sat, 25 Jul 2026 15:40:27 GMT]]>If you think of the Fediverse as a culture, or a group of people, then questions about who can join are really important. Who has access to our time and attention? Who do we want to hang out with, and have among us?

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://cosocial.ca/users/evan/statuses/116981368611445064https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://cosocial.ca/users/evan/statuses/116981368611445064Sat, 25 Jul 2026 15:40:27 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to What does "the Fediverse" mean? on Sat, 25 Jul 2026 15:39:25 GMT]]>Thanks to everyone who replied.

I think this is an important topic, because the different definitions result in different policy decisions.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://cosocial.ca/users/evan/statuses/116981364511498541https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://cosocial.ca/users/evan/statuses/116981364511498541Sat, 25 Jul 2026 15:39:25 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to What does "the Fediverse" mean? on Sat, 25 Jul 2026 13:10:23 GMT]]>@evan a series of tubes

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://chaos.social/users/slothrop/statuses/116980778513982680https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://chaos.social/users/slothrop/statuses/116980778513982680Sat, 25 Jul 2026 13:10:23 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to What does "the Fediverse" mean? on Sat, 25 Jul 2026 13:00:24 GMT]]>@evan Yes.

The Fediverse is a culture, made up of people, with a shared set of principles, communicating over a network.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://thecanadian.social/users/Plumbert/statuses/116980739265956395https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://thecanadian.social/users/Plumbert/statuses/116980739265956395Sat, 25 Jul 2026 13:00:24 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to What does "the Fediverse" mean? on Sat, 25 Jul 2026 02:15:29 GMT]]>@evan I think the bottom three can change over time the thread holding it all together is the connection, so a network.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://hachyderm.io/users/ragectl/statuses/116978203323193470https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://hachyderm.io/users/ragectl/statuses/116978203323193470Sat, 25 Jul 2026 02:15:29 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to What does "the Fediverse" mean? on Sat, 25 Jul 2026 01:35:22 GMT]]>@wjmaggos @evan one could perhaps say that it's a culture only so far as the cultural elements held in common (a culture of individuals or small orgs running their own servers and deciding how they integrate with each other), but 1. Gargron has been working against that as stated since Mastodon came into being and orgs like IFTAS are also working against it and 2. orgs like the European Commission are now on here.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mstdn.io/users/deutrino/statuses/116978045598024317https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mstdn.io/users/deutrino/statuses/116978045598024317Sat, 25 Jul 2026 01:35:22 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to What does "the Fediverse" mean? on Sat, 25 Jul 2026 01:27:57 GMT]]>@danso @evan yes, I call it the DS9 Promenade / Star Wars Cantina network model

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mstdn.io/users/deutrino/statuses/116978016439919756https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mstdn.io/users/deutrino/statuses/116978016439919756Sat, 25 Jul 2026 01:27:57 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to What does "the Fediverse" mean? on Sat, 25 Jul 2026 00:50:09 GMT]]>@evan@cosocial.ca a lot of people seem to think it's a culture but I bet they don't agree on what that culture is!]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://ebiverse.social/notes/ap37v5yy04https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://ebiverse.social/notes/ap37v5yy04Sat, 25 Jul 2026 00:50:09 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to What does "the Fediverse" mean? on Sat, 25 Jul 2026 00:39:11 GMT]]>@evan

It is a network of networks.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://jasette.facil.services/users/MichelPatrice/statuses/116977824686593893https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://jasette.facil.services/users/MichelPatrice/statuses/116977824686593893Sat, 25 Jul 2026 00:39:11 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to What does "the Fediverse" mean? on Sat, 25 Jul 2026 00:30:11 GMT]]>@evan@cosocial.ca possible follow-up question:

if an activitypub server doesn’t interact with any other activitypub server which is part of the big connected graph (either by choice or by being universally blocked)… is that part of “the Fediverse”?

my gut says no, but i don’t feel strongly

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mtl.rocks/objects/c5126c3c-711d-47fb-b997-c596ff57a6e2https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mtl.rocks/objects/c5126c3c-711d-47fb-b997-c596ff57a6e2Sat, 25 Jul 2026 00:30:11 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to What does "the Fediverse" mean? on Sat, 25 Jul 2026 00:24:51 GMT]]>@evan@cosocial.ca finally voted for “a network”.

Yes, it is all of those things. But when I think about what disqualifies something from the question…

If I can’t, even in theory, interact with it from mtl.rocks, then I’m going to say it’s not Fediverse. Something like Gemini might share the same principles but it’s a different thing.

I also think that there are some interesting groups of people and subcultures on “the Fediverse”. Frankly this includes some people that “the Fediverse” would be better off without. They might be on widely-blocked domains. Regrettably that does still count as “the Fediverse” to me.

So… it’s “a network” that includes mtl.rocks and everything reachable from it (including indirectly).

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mtl.rocks/objects/7a5b6c02-6587-4e44-8a01-be4aeb0bb6e9https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mtl.rocks/objects/7a5b6c02-6587-4e44-8a01-be4aeb0bb6e9Sat, 25 Jul 2026 00:24:51 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to What does "the Fediverse" mean? on Sat, 25 Jul 2026 00:14:18 GMT]]>@evan@cosocial.ca this is a really hard question. What kind of sociopath are you?

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mtl.rocks/objects/7b6897d5-b374-4629-b502-e258150adec8https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mtl.rocks/objects/7b6897d5-b374-4629-b502-e258150adec8Sat, 25 Jul 2026 00:14:18 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to What does "the Fediverse" mean? on Fri, 24 Jul 2026 23:46:45 GMT]]>@Forbo @evan Yes, this. It’s a specific set of protocols that allow a specific kind of interactivity. Technology shapes behavior.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.xyz/users/superflippy/statuses/116977618468138457https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.xyz/users/superflippy/statuses/116977618468138457Fri, 24 Jul 2026 23:46:45 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to What does "the Fediverse" mean? on Fri, 24 Jul 2026 23:26:35 GMT]]>@evan Group of people made up of several interconnected interoperable networks with a culture of inclusion, decentralization and free access as a core set of principles.

And I love you all for it.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mstdn.social/users/mrcopilot/statuses/116977539212539327https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mstdn.social/users/mrcopilot/statuses/116977539212539327Fri, 24 Jul 2026 23:26:35 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to What does "the Fediverse" mean? on Fri, 24 Jul 2026 23:09:15 GMT]]>@nieuemma first thought, best thought

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://cosocial.ca/users/evan/statuses/116977471034180297https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://cosocial.ca/users/evan/statuses/116977471034180297Fri, 24 Jul 2026 23:09:15 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to What does "the Fediverse" mean? on Fri, 24 Jul 2026 22:49:31 GMT]]>@evan that's weird I feel like the answer was really easy

Maybe I'm wrong though

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.de/users/nieuemma/statuses/116977393466162133https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.de/users/nieuemma/statuses/116977393466162133Fri, 24 Jul 2026 22:49:31 GMT