Meta is exploring a new social platform that could rival Twitter

Meta, Facebook’s parent company, is exploring a new social media platform that could potentially rival Twitter as the company remains in turmoil under CEO Elon Musk.

“We are exploring a self-contained decentralized social network for sharing text updates,” a Meta spokesperson said in a statement to The Hill.

“We believe there is an opportunity for a separate space where creators and public figures can share timely updates about their interests,” they added.

Decentralized social media networks, which typically allow users to form separate communities and set their own rules and guidelines, have grown in popularity in the wake of Musk’s chaotic takeover of Twitter.

Mastodon, one such decentralized network, exploded in popularity after Tesla’s CEO took over Twitter last fall. It grew from less than 500,000 active users in late October to more than 2.5 million users in early December, according to The Guardian every time Musk made controversial decisions.

However, some thought the decentralized network was too complicated to serve as a sufficient alternative to Twitter, with the number of Mastodon users dropping to about 1.8 million users in early January.

Meta has followed Twitter’s lead on several counts since the Musk acquisition, launching a verified subscription service similar to Twitter Blue and restoring former President Trump’s access to his accounts on Facebook and Instagram after he was reinstated on Twitter .