Vitalik Buterin Advocates for Decentralized Social Media, Warns Against 'Corposlop' Crypto Platforms

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has called for a return to decentralized social media and highlighted the importance of competition in creating healthier communication tools. He believes that decentralization can reduce the power of centralized platforms and improve how we engage with each other online. Buterin criticizes the approach of many crypto-based social projects, emphasizing that true social innovation goes beyond simply adding speculative tokens.

Key Takeaways

Vitalik Buterin is advocating for decentralized social media as a solution to issues in current mass communication systems.
He emphasizes that competition and high-quality information are essential for improvement.
Buterin critiques the trend of using speculative tokens as a substitute for meaningful social innovation.
He encourages the community to explore decentralized platforms like Lens and Farcaster to foster healthier online interactions.

Vitalik Buterin

A Call for Decentralized Social Media

Ethereum’s co-founder Vitalik Buterin is pushing for a shift back to decentralized social media, asserting that competition is vital for improving mass communication systems. He argues that current platforms often rely on algorithms that prioritize engagement or speculative tokens rather than enhancing user experience.

In a recent post on X, Buterin stated his intention to fully return to decentralized social platforms by 2026, positioning this change as a response to significant issues plaguing today’s leading platforms. He stated, “If we want a better society, we need better mass communication tools,” advocating for systems that promote quality information and prioritize users' long-term interests over short-term engagement metrics.

The Power of Decentralization

Buterin believes that decentralization can serve as a foundation for fostering genuine competition. He explained that shared data layers enable multiple clients to be developed atop the same social graph, which reduces the monopolistic power of any single interface or algorithm. “Decentralization is the way to enable that,” he noted, emphasizing that offering real choices at the client level is crucial for enhancing online discussions.

He also mentioned that his journey back into decentralized social media is already in motion. Throughout the year, he has engaged with posts exclusively via Firefly, a multi-client interface that supports various platforms like X, Lens, Farcaster, and Bluesky. This experience, he suggested, illustrates how decentralized tools can not only coexist with but also gradually draw attention away from centralized platforms.

Speculative Tokens vs. Social Innovation

In his critique of many crypto-oriented social initiatives, Buterin expressed discontent with the notion that simply incorporating speculative tokens constitutes meaningful innovation. While he acknowledged that merging financial elements with social interactions can be effective—citing Substack as a good example—he warns that real issues arise when platforms create price bubbles around creators instead of genuinely rewarding quality content.

Over the last decade, Buterin noted that repeated attempts to commercialize social influence have typically failed by rewarding existing social capital rather than genuine quality, resulting in the majority of tokens losing value. He termed the belief that new markets and assets automatically improve systems as “galaxy-brained” rhetoric, which, in his opinion, obscures any real commitment to enhancing information flow. “That is not Hayekian info-utopia,” he remarked. “That is corposlop.”

Emphasizing the 'Social' Aspect

For decentralized social platforms to thrive, Buterin argues that initiatives need to be led by teams that genuinely care about solving social challenges. He commended the Aave team’s management of Lens and expressed optimism about its upcoming developments, particularly noting the team’s dedication to encrypted social communication.

This year, Buterin plans to contribute more actively on Lens and encourages users to explore platforms like Lens, Farcaster, and the wider decentralized social ecosystem. His goal is to move away from “a single global info warzone” and instead create a space where healthier forms of online interaction can flourish.