Rephonic
Artwork for Dot Social

Dot Social

Mike McCue
Fediverse
Decentralized Social Media
Mastodon
Decentralization
Activitypub
Journalism
Activity Pub
Threads
Meta
Bluesky
Flipboard
Ai-Generated Content
Media Technology
Social Media Growth
Social Media Algorithms
Twitter
Privacy In Social Media
Email
User Engagement
RSS

Learn about the Internet’s next wave on the open social web and what it will unlock for how we connect, communicate, and innovate online. Hosted by Flipboard CEO Mike McCue.

PublishesTwice monthlyEpisodes27Founded3 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
TechnologyBusiness

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Artwork for Dot Social

Latest Episodes

Dot Social’s Mike McCue talks to PJ Vogt, host of the Search Engine podcast. PJ is also a co-founder of the Forkiverse, a Mastodon instance launched with the Hard Fork team as an experiment in community and a concrete way to show how a decentralized ... more

YouTube

As Mastodon celebrates its 10-year anniversary in 2026, the open source platform’s new Executive Director, Felix Hlatky, is focused on what it’ll take to make the next 10 years even more impactful.

That vision includes an overhaul in version 5.0, a ... more

YouTube

What do TikTok, Mark Cuban and Bluesky have in common? Skylight.

When the future of TikTok was thrown into question in January 19, 2025, Skylight CEO Tori White and her co-founder/CTO Reed Harmeyer saw a moment and seized on it.

But they took a new... more

YouTube

AltStore co-founders Riley Testut and Shane Gill are the perfect example of necessity being the mother of invention. When Apple denied the launch of their retro video game app, Delta, in 2016, they realized that indie app developers needed another so... more

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Recent Guests

PJ Vogt
Host of the Search Engine podcast and co-founder of The Forkiverse
The Forkiverse; The Forkiverse/Mastodon instance; The Search Engine
Episode: Building the internet you want to find, with Search Engine's PJ Vogt
Felix Hlatky
Executive Director of Mastodon
Mastodon
Episode: Mastodon’s First and Next 10 Years, with Executive Director Felix Hlatky
Tori White
Co-founder of Skylight, a short-form video app built on the At Protocol
Skylight
Episode: Why Open Social Matters for Creators, with Skylight’s Tori White
Riley Testut
Co-founder of AltStore
AltStore
Episode: AltStore and the Indie App Renaissance, with Shane Gill and Riley Testut
Shane Gill
Co-founder of AltStore
AltStore
Episode: AltStore and the Indie App Renaissance, with Shane Gill and Riley Testut
Matthias Pfefferle
Developer behind the ActivityPub plugin for WordPress.
WordPress
Episode: Rediscovering the Magic of the Blogosphere, with John O’Nolan and Matthias Pfefferle
Rudy Fraser
Founder of Blacksky, technologist, and organizer, involved in creating decentralized platforms for community building.
Blacksky
Episode: Architecting a New Era of Community, with Blacksky’s Rudy Fraser
Cory Doctorow
A blogger, journalist, author and activist, influential in digital rights, tech policy and decentralization.
Episode: Move Fast and Break Kings, with Cory Doctorow
Chris Messina
Inventor of the hashtag and founder coach.
Episode: Turning Moments Into Movements, with Hashtag Inventor Chris Messina

Host

Mike McCue
Host of Dot Social, Flipboard

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 36 ratings
  • A superb show hosted by Mike McCue of Flipboard fame. His interviews are top notch and the production quality is well done!

    Podchaser
    5
    SethGoldstein
    a year ago
  • High quality content

    Podcast Addict
    5
    underlap
    2 years ago
  • Just more techbros

    This show is just techbros interviewing other techbros. They pretend to support decentralisation of the internet but really they support big tech.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    HuntingBears01
    Ireland2 years ago
  • Interesting & informative

    The first two conversations have been incredibly interesting and informative. Loving learning about the open social web - how it got to where it is, why it matters and where it is headed. Looking forward to hearing the next ones.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Annie -
    United States3 years ago
  • Great conversation!

    Interesting listen about where social media is headed. Excited to hear the next episode.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    JeJord
    United States3 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

This show can be a breath of fresh air for open web topics, with focused conversations and practical angles.
Overall, the quality and depth of conversations are praised, though some listeners wish for broader perspectives beyond tech circles.
Guests and host bring strong expertise, making discussions valuable for industry insiders.
Occasional critiques suggest a heavy tech focus, but interviews remain informative about decentralization and creator tools.

Top Technology Podcasts

Tomorrow, Today
Tomorrow, TodayShekhar Natarajan
Acquired
AcquiredBen Gilbert and David Rosenthal
The Room Podcast
The Room PodcastClaudia Laurie and Madison McIlwain
Hard Fork
Hard ForkThe New York Times
Building AI Boston
Building AI BostonBuilding AI Boston
Eye On A.I.
Eye On A.I.Craig S. Smith

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Building the internet you want to find, with Search Engine's PJ Vogt
Q: How did you get discovered?
PJ Vogt describes early career steps in radio, interning at This American Life, and eventually building a career in audio that led to founding and shaping shows like Reply All and Search Engine.
Building the internet you want to find, with Search Engine's PJ Vogt
Q: Do you feel like you have now started to find some answers to that question? Or do you have hope?
The guest expresses hopeful perspectives, emphasizing a blended model of listener support, ethical advertising, and community-driven growth as viable paths forward.
Building the internet you want to find, with Search Engine's PJ Vogt
Q: Are there other next steps that you have in mind for The Forkiverse?
Plans include expanding live events, deeper integration with podcast episodes, and continuing to grow a space where listeners can participate without the commercial pressures of mainstream platforms.
Building the internet you want to find, with Search Engine's PJ Vogt
Q: What are we going to do about the media apocalypse on the internet?
The guest explains that the Fediverse and Forkiverse offer a different path by emphasizing community, slower, more meaningful engagement, and a space where people can build and experiment with new forms of online interaction.
Rediscovering the Magic of the Blogosphere, with John O’Nolan and Matthias Pfefferle
Q: Why should writers and bloggers care about the work you guys are doing?
The work focuses on reconnecting the spirit of the Blogosphere and creating decentralized content that enriches online communities.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
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Professions
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Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Dot Social

What is Dot Social about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Tech and business-focused discussions around the open social web, decentralization, and interoperability drive conversations. Episodes frequently explore open protocols, federated networks, creator economics, and the evolving role of independent platforms in how we connect and share online. Notable strengths include a clear emphasis on real-world use cases, governance and monetization models, and hands-on experiences from founders and developers experimenting with alternative app ecosystems. This mix is likely to appeal to listeners who want actionable insights for building or sponsoring open, creator-friendly online ecosystems, with a bias toward technical depth and industry context rather than generic social media coverage.

Where can I find podcast stats for Dot Social?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Dot Social. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Dot Social and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does Dot Social get?

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What are the audience demographics for Dot Social?

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How many subscribers and views does Dot Social have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Dot Social has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Dot Social?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Dot Social:

1. Ctrl-Alt-Speech
2. Tech Won't Save Us
3. Decoder with Nilay Patel
4. The 404 Media Podcast
5. Better Offline

How many episodes of Dot Social are there?

Dot Social launched 3 years ago and published 27 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Dot Social?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for Dot Social?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Dot Social from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

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What guests have appeared on Dot Social?

Recent guests on Dot Social include:

1. PJ Vogt
2. Felix Hlatky
3. Tori White
4. Riley Testut
5. Shane Gill
6. Matthias Pfefferle
7. Rudy Fraser
8. Cory Doctorow

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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