If Facebook’s domination is ending, what might replace it?

If Facebook’s domination is ending, what might replace it? Facebook may have had a monopoly over social media use for 15 years, with 2 bn active users, but the recent backlash against it has led to a rise in social media sites that want to offer users more control and privacy. Mastodon and Blockstack are two examples of sites that represent a radical break from Facebook’s centralized system, the Economist says (watch, runtime: 02:40). Mastodon is open-source, community-run, and crowdfunded, with no user tracking or targeted advertising. Blockstack relies of blockchain technology, so users own their data and can store it securely. Both are still a long way from posing a real threat to the social media behemoth, but they do offer a glimpse of where social media could be headed.