Rephonic
Artwork for Dot Social

Dot Social

Mike McCue
Fediverse
Mastodon
Decentralized Social Media
Activitypub
Decentralization
Flipboard
Threads
Meta
Activity Pub
Social Media Growth
Privacy In Social Media
User Engagement
404 Media
Twitter
Bluesky
BBC
Internet History
Curation
Attention Economy
Medium

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.

PublishesMonthlyEpisodes25Founded2 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
BusinessTechnology

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Artwork for Dot Social

Latest Episodes

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

Social networks were built on short posts designed for speed and scale. But what if the next era of the web was built for something deeper?

Two of the social web’s “longformers” are working on this. John O’Nolan, the founder and CEO of Ghost, and Ma... more

YouTube

Thanks to the rise of the open social web, it’s more viable than ever for creators to take back ownership and control of the distribution of their work, their connection to their audiences, and their livelihoods overall. Real alternatives to walled-g... more

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
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Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

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Recent Guests

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
John O'Nolan
Founder and CEO of Ghost, an open-source publishing platform.
Ghost
Episode: Rediscovering the Magic of the Blogosphere, with John O’Nolan and Matthias Pfefferle
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
Chris Trottier
Fediverse enthusiast and former Hootsuite employee
Atomic Poet
Episode: Leaving the City of Big Social, with Fediverse Enthusiast Chris Trottier

Host

Mike McCue
CEO of Flipboard and host of Dot Social, frequently guiding conversations on open social web and decentralized platforms.

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 States2 years ago
  • Great conversation!

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

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    JeJord
    United States2 years ago

Listeners Say

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

Some listeners feel the show centers too much on tech founders and big-name guests.
A few critics wish for more diverse guest perspectives and less insider tech discussion.
Listeners praise accessible explanations of complex topics like decentralization and open protocols.

Top Technology Podcasts

Acquired
AcquiredBen Gilbert and David Rosenthal
TBPN
TBPNJohn Coogan & Jordi Hays
Tomorrow, Today
Tomorrow, TodayShekhar Natarajan
Hard Fork
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The Digital Executive
The Digital ExecutiveCoruzant Technologies

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

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.
Digital Sovereignty Is the New Influencer Status, with Citation Needed's Molly White
Q: How do you think about discovery when you're creating your content?
I don't even think about it, I enjoy writing without stuffing SEO keywords.
Digital Sovereignty Is the New Influencer Status, with Citation Needed's Molly White
Q: What is digital sovereignty and why is it important?
It is about taking control of your digital life, including your content and data, outside of platform limitations.
Creating an ATmosphere of Possibility, with Bluesky’s Paul Frazee
Q: What advice would you give those teams pushing in the direction of self-sovereign identity?
Paul suggests considering alternative technical solutions, with a focus on whether they effectively address the intended purpose.
Creating an ATmosphere of Possibility, with Bluesky’s Paul Frazee
Q: How and why did Alf take off early in the Bluesky community?
Paul explained the early growth was surprising and attributed to the community's grassroots appeal.

Audience Metrics

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

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

Frequently Asked Questions About Dot Social

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

A deep dive into the open social web, decentralized platforms, and the evolving publishing ecosystem. Episodes center on how decentralized protocols, independent publishing, and creator autonomy could reshape social connectivity, content ownership, and online community life. Notable themes include ActivityPub and AT Protocol interoperability, the tension between nostalgia for blogging and modern short-form networks, and practical visions for community-driven platforms that empower marginalized voices and reduce dependence on Big Tech. The show's host, who leads a major content platform, often spotlights founders, engineers, and policy-minded thinkers shaping the next wave of online interaction. A standout angle is the focus on real-world im... more

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. Techdirt
2. Molly White's Citation Needed
3. Decoder with Nilay Patel
4. The Vergecast
5. Better Offline

How many episodes of Dot Social are there?

Dot Social launched 2 years ago and published 25 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.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

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Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of Dot Social. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on Dot Social?

Recent guests on Dot Social include:

1. Tori White
2. Riley Testut
3. Shane Gill
4. John O'Nolan
5. Matthias Pfefferle
6. Rudy Fraser
7. Cory Doctorow
8. Chris Messina

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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