Vitalik Buterin will return to using decentralized social networks - ForkLog: cryptocurrencies, AI, singularity, the future

# Vitalik Buterin Returns to Using Decentralized Social Networks

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin announced that he will fully return to decentralized social networks in 2026.

In 2026, I plan to be fully back to decentralized social.

If we want a better society, we need better mass communication tools. We need mass communication tools that surface the best information and arguments and help people find points of agreement. We need mass communication… https://t.co/ye249HsojJ

— vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) January 21, 2026

According to him, the world needs qualitatively new tools for mass communication. He explained that it’s time for people to move away from the model where everyone simply posts in a giant “information battlefield zone,” like in modern X.

“We need mass communication tools that serve the long-term interests of users, not maximize short-term engagement. There’s no simple trick to solving these problems. But there is one important starting point: more competition,” — wrote the programmer

Buterin named decentralization as the main way to make this possible: thanks to a shared data layer, everyone will be able to create their own interface on top of it.

The words of Ethereum’s co-founder came amid changes in two key projects. On January 20, the decentralized social platform Lens Protocol announced that its further development would be handled by Mask Network.

Today, we’re proud to share that @masknetwork will steward the next chapter for Lens, bringing the strongest onchain SocialFi foundation to life through intuitive, consumer-ready applications. pic.twitter.com/mwgZOn7k4s

— Lens (@LC) January 20, 2026

The next day, a similar step was announced by the platform Farcaster. Its entire tech stack — smart contracts, source code, main application, as well as the acquired platform for launching tokens Clanker — will be transferred to Neynar.

“This was not an easy decision. Farcaster and the people building on it mean a lot to us. We are proud of what our team has built and what the community has created with us. But after five years, it became clear that Farcaster needs a new approach and leadership to unlock its full potential,” wrote co-founder of the social network Dan Romero

Although neither Lens Protocol nor Farcaster have released their own tokens yet, Buterin criticized the industry’s common approach.

According to him, many social blockchain projects are limited to adding a speculative element, passing it off as innovation.

“Too often in the crypto community, it’s considered that if you attach a speculative coin to something, it automatically becomes ‘innovation’ and drives progress forward,” he wrote

The Ethereum co-founder emphasized that the real task lies elsewhere — in solving fundamental social problems inherent in modern platforms.

“Decentralized social networks should be led by people who genuinely believe in the ‘social’ mission and whose main motivation is solving social issues,” — summarized Buterin.

Recall that in January, he opposed the existing DAO model and called on the community to develop a more effective solution.