The Fediverse makes room for independent social networks

Social connection shouldn't require one company to host everyone's accounts. If a new service only becomes useful after all your friends join it, choosing software becomes a group negotiation. That gives the place where everyone already is a considerable advantage, however people feel about using it.

The Fediverse offers a different arrangement. Independently run social services communicate through shared standards, most commonly ActivityPub. Someone using Mastodon can follow and reply to someone on another connected service. The people involved keep their own accounts and the places they've chosen.

This makes room for communities with distinct priorities. A service can focus on photographs, writing or a particular kind of social life without needing to become the one place everybody uses. Its independence can have a practical effect on the experience it offers.

TouchGrass belongs in that open social web because we want to build non-addictive social media around people you know. Your friends may prefer something else. Being able to stay connected gives each of you more freedom to choose, and gives independent services a fairer reason to exist.