Harry Evans and Braxton Woodham are two visionaries that are not only pushing the boundaries of what is possible in Web3 but are also pioneering the development of decentralized social networks that have the potential to reshape the very fabric of digital interaction. This article delves into their journey, exploring how they are unlocking the ultimate potential of Social Web3 and what their work means for the future of online communities.
Harry Evans and Braxton Woodham Interview
Harry Evans, the Chief Technology Officer of Project Liberty Labs, and Braxton Woodham, his co-founder, are at the forefront of a movement to decentralize social networks. Their goal is to build a more open, user-controlled internet where data is no longer held hostage by a few powerful corporations. The duo’s work is centered around the Frequency blockchain and the Decentralized Social Networking Protocol (DSNP), both of which are integral to their vision of a decentralized social web.
A Journey Rooted in Experience
The journey of Evans and Woodham is one of resilience and innovation. Before their involvement in Web3, they co-founded Zannel, a social networking platform in 2006. Although Zannel did not succeed, the experience provided them with valuable insights into the social networking industry and its pitfalls. Their proximity to the early days of Twitter and Facebook offered them a front-row seat to the evolution of social media, where they observed the shift from open APIs and third-party applications to closed ecosystems controlled by a few gatekeepers.
These early experiences left a lasting impression on Evans and Woodham, shaping their belief that social networking should not be monopolized by a handful of companies. They saw the potential for social graphs—networks of social connections—to exist as independent layers on the internet, accessible and controlled by users rather than platforms. This belief laid the foundation for their future work in decentralized social networks.
The Problem with Current Social Networks
One of the primary motivations behind the work of Evans and Woodham is their recognition of the issues inherent in current social networks. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have become immensely powerful due to their control over social data. These platforms operate as centralized entities, owning the data generated by their users and monetizing it through advertising and other means. The result is a surveillance economy where user data is commodified, leading to issues such as privacy violations, data breaches, and the manipulation of public opinion through targeted content.
The Power of Network Effects
The dominance of these platforms is largely due to the power of network effects. As more users join a platform, its value increases, attracting even more users and creating a feedback loop that entrenches the platform’s position. This winner-takes-all dynamic has allowed companies like Facebook and Twitter to dominate their respective markets, leaving little room for competition or innovation.
Evans and Woodham argue that this concentration of power is not only harmful to users but also stifles the potential for new, innovative social applications. By controlling the social graph, these platforms can dictate the terms of user interaction, limiting the possibilities for new applications that could provide different or better experiences.
What is the Decentralized Social Networking Protocol (DSNP)?
In response to these challenges, Evans and Woodham have developed the Decentralized Social Networking Protocol (DSNP), a core component of their vision for a decentralized social web. DSNP is designed to be an open, extensible protocol that allows users to own and control their social data. It provides the infrastructure for a social graph that is independent of any single platform, enabling users to move their data between applications without losing their connections or content.
Core Features of DSNP
DSNP is built around a set of core features that distinguish it from traditional social networking models. These features include:
- Social Identity: DSNP allows users to create and manage their social identities independently of any platform. This identity is portable, meaning users can move between applications without having to recreate their profiles or connections.
- Delegation: DSNP introduces the concept of delegation, where users can grant permissions to applications to act on their behalf. This allows for a smoother user experience, as users do not need to sign every transaction or interaction manually.
- Social Graph Ownership: The social graph, which maps the relationships between users, is stored on a decentralized network rather than a central server. This ensures that users retain control over their connections and can take them with them if they switch applications.
- Content Control: Users have control over the content they share, including the ability to revoke access or delete content across applications.
Implementation and Challenges
The implementation of DSNP began with a white paper released in late 2020, which outlined the protocol’s core principles and features. The team initially built a prototype on Ethereum, but they quickly realized that Ethereum’s high transaction costs made it impractical for social applications, which require a low-cost, high-volume model.
This realization led Evans and Woodham to explore other blockchain ecosystems, ultimately choosing Polkadot due to its unique characteristics. The Polkadot ecosystem offers a parachain model that allows for the customization of blockchains to specific use cases. For DSNP, this meant they could create a chain optimized for social interactions, with predictable and low transaction costs.
Frequency Blockchain for a Future Social Web3
The Frequency blockchain is the platform on which DSNP operates. It is designed to be a public resource, much like wind or solar energy, where no single entity owns the data. Instead, the network is operated by a decentralized set of participants who are incentivized through the Frequency token. This token is not tied to the core DSNP protocol but is used to cover the operational costs of running the network.
Customization and Predictability
One of the key reasons Evans and Woodham chose Polkadot for the Frequency blockchain is its ability to provide fixed-price consensus. This feature is crucial for social applications, which require not only low transaction costs but also price predictability. The parachain lease model of Polkadot ensures that the costs associated with running the network are stable, making it easier for developers to build and scale applications on top of Frequency.
Future-Proofing with Agile Core Time
As Frequency continues to grow, one of the concerns is whether the network can handle the increasing volume of transactions associated with social applications. To address this, Polkadot has introduced Agile Core Time, which allows parachains to secure additional slots on the relay chain if needed. This feature provides a safety net for Frequency as it scales, ensuring that the network can accommodate its growing user base without sacrificing performance or reliability.
The Role of Tokens in Social Web3
While DSNP itself does not rely on tokenomics, the Frequency blockchain does utilize a token to incentivize network participants. However, Evans and Woodham have been careful to design the system in a way that does not tie the value of social interactions to the price of a token. Instead, the Frequency token is used to cover the costs of operating the network, while the social graph and user data remain independent of any financial speculation.
Delegation and Transaction Costs
One of the challenges in Web3 is managing transaction costs, particularly in social applications where the value of individual interactions can be low. To address this, DSNP incorporates a delegation model that allows users to grant permissions to applications to act on their behalf. This not only improves the user experience by reducing the need for manual transaction signing but also opens up the possibility for applications to cover transaction costs on behalf of users.
This model is particularly important for attracting mainstream users who may not be familiar with blockchain technology or comfortable with managing tokens. By abstracting away the complexities of token management, DSNP makes it easier for users to adopt Web3 applications without the friction associated with traditional blockchain interactions.
Real-World Applications: Mewe and Beyond
One of the first real-world applications to implement DSNP is Mewe, a privacy-focused social network with 20 million registered users. Mewe has partnered with Evans and Woodham to integrate DSNP into its platform, allowing users to migrate their identities and social graphs to the Frequency blockchain. This partnership serves as a pilot for DSNP, demonstrating how existing social networks can transition to a decentralized model without losing their user base or functionality.
Incremental Migration
The migration of Mewe users to DSNP has been done incrementally, starting with identity and delegation. As of now, 900,000 Mewe users have migrated their identities, and 400,000 have migrated their social graphs to Frequency. This gradual approach allows users to familiarize themselves with the new system without being overwhelmed by the complexities of Web3.
Future Prospects: TikTok and Beyond
Project Liberty’s bid to acquire TikTok’s U.S. operations has the potential to bring millions of users onto the Frequency blockchain. If successful, TikTok users would undergo a similar migration process to Mewe users, gradually moving their data and social connections to a decentralized network. This would be a significant step towards realizing the vision of a truly decentralized social web, where users control their data and can move freely between applications.
The Broader Impact of Social Web3
The work of Evans and Woodham goes beyond just building a decentralized social network; it has the potential to reshape the entire internet. By moving social data out of the hands of private companies and onto a public, decentralized network, they are creating a new model for online interaction. This model not only empowers users but also opens up new possibilities for innovation in social applications.
A New Approach to Moderation
One of the challenges of decentralized social networks is moderation. In the current model, private companies act as gatekeepers, moderating content according to their own policies. This has led to concerns about censorship, bias, and the concentration of power in the hands of a few tech giants.
DSNP Protocol offers a different approach. By decoupling the social graph from the application layer, it allows for more flexible and context-specific moderation. Governments, consortiums, and specialized groups can each moderate content according to their own standards, providing a more nuanced approach to content control. This could lead to a more balanced and effective moderation system that respects local laws and cultural differences while preserving freedom of expression.
The Future of Human Interaction
At its core, the vision of Evans and Woodham is about reclaiming the internet as a space for human connection. The current model of social networking, driven by the surveillance economy, has led to increasing polarization, misinformation, and a loss of trust in online platforms. By building a decentralized social web, they aim to create a new model that fosters collaboration, innovation, and the free exchange of ideas.
The potential of Social Web3 extends far beyond social networking. It has implications for everything from e-commerce to education, as decentralized networks can be applied to any area where data ownership and user control are important. As more applications adopt DSNP and similar protocols, we may see a shift towards a more open, user-driven internet where individuals have greater control over their digital lives.
Conclusion
Harry Evans and Braxton Woodham are leading a revolution in social networking, one that has the potential to transform the internet as we know it. Through their work on the Decentralized Social Networking Protocol and the Frequency blockchain, they are building the infrastructure for a new, decentralized social web. This vision is not just about technology; it is about creating a more open, equitable, and user-controlled internet. As they continue to push the boundaries of what is possible in Web3, Evans and Woodham are laying the groundwork for a future where the internet truly belongs to its users.
