Sure, Mastodon is a replacement for X, but the open-source platform represents something even more significant: the move towards decentralized social media. People fed up with walled-garden social networks are adopting new homes in the Fediverse, where they’re finding stronger engagement, better community, and systems that are more closely aligned to their values.

We’re on the precipice of a new wave of innovation, and it’s important that even established organizations listen up and see what’s unfolding.

One person watching closely is the BBC’s Ian Forrester. As the Senior Firestarter in the broadcaster’s R&D Lab, Ian susses out new technologies and opportunities so that the public service broadcaster can stay current and true to its values. Among those values is trust, so the chance to verify its own journalists and run a social media server according to its own rules is a big reason for the BBC to even swim in these waters.

What has the BBC learned so far from its experiments in the Fediverse? What will decentralized systems unlock for innovation? And how is all this like the early days of the Internet?

That’s the subject of this week’s episode of Dot Social, the first podcast to explore the world of decentralized social media. Each episode, host (and Flipboard co-founder and CEO) Mike McCue talks to a leader in this movement; someone who sees the Fediverse’s tremendous potential and understands that this could be a significant shift for the internet.

01:02 The story behind his “Senior Firestarter” title 04:40 What he’s learned from BBC experiments in the Fediverse so far 09:47 The power of verification in your own hands and sense of identity on the social web 11:33 The BBC’s Fediverse approach (and how it differs from The Guardian’s) 13:37 Micro communities and moderation 18:16 Decentralizing innovation 23:17 The opportunity for innovation when you start connecting people to each other 26:43 A day in the life in BBC R&D department 30:15 “It’s like the early days of the internet” and the era of the walled gardens coming to an end 36:22 The Human Values project and public service activities 37:35 Advice to other organizations when getting involved with the Fediverse 41:38 The next major revolution for the web? 43:28 Best way to follow Ian’s work