Vitalik announces return to decentralized social in 2026, signaling new development opportunities for the Web3 ecosystem

【Crypto World】Recently, an Ethereum core developer stated that they plan to fully transition to decentralized social media platforms by 2026 and called on the industry to focus on user-centric communication tools rather than traditional social models that encourage short-term interactions. There is substantial support behind this stance—Mask Network has taken over the operation rights of Lens Protocol, laying the foundation for the decentralization of the social ecosystem.

In his view, decentralization is the true source of competitiveness. This architecture allows multiple independent clients to interact seamlessly on the same data layer, giving users genuine choice and data autonomy. In practice, he has been gradually implementing this philosophy, increasingly using decentralized platforms like Firefly for daily interactions.

Interestingly, he openly criticized the current direction of some projects—those overly reliant on speculative token incentives are straying from their original purpose. In contrast, teams like Aave and Mask Network have earned his recognition because they focus on creating real social utility rather than indulging in complex financial engineering tricks. This shift in attitude reflects that the Web3 ecosystem is moving from a hype phase toward an application value phase.