# Protocols, not platforms

By [Brandon Donnelly](https://paragraph.com/@brandondonnelly), 2019-12-13

decentralized, internet, internet-protocol, jack-dorsey, smtp, standard, tech, twitter, twtr

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Yesterday, Jack Dorsey published [the below tweetstorm](https://twitter.com/jack/status/1204766078468911106?s=20) about Twitter's efforts to create a decentralized internet protocol for social media. What does this mean? Think along the lines of the [Simple Mail Transfer Protocol](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_Mail_Transfer_Protocol) (or SMTP). Some, or many, of you may not know what this is, but you almost certainly use it every day. It is fundamental to modern email communication. It is how emails get sent.

https://twitter.com/jack/status/1204766078468911106?s=20

I would encourage you to click through to the entire thread. It all feels very topical. We are living in a world of recommendation algorithms and content designed to ["spark controversy and outrage](https://twitter.com/jack/status/1204766084353544192?s=20)." Arguably, this is the result of social media companies being platforms (i.e. proprietary systems), as opposed to being based around open protocols. Twitter is trying to change that by funding a team. And that feels like a great -- and timely -- idea.

Full disclosure: I own $TWTR.

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*Originally published on [Brandon Donnelly](https://paragraph.com/@brandondonnelly/protocols%2C-not-platforms)*