Decentralized, blockchain-based messaging and social media platforms have seen a sharp rise in interest over the past year, driven by civil unrest and communication shutdowns across the Middle East, Asia, and Africa.
Search interest in decentralized social media has climbed 145% over the past five years, according to Exploding Topics. Meanwhile, peer-to-peer messaging app Bitchat recorded a surge in downloads during recent protests in countries including Madagascar, Uganda, Nepal, Indonesia, and Iran.
“I think people are beginning to place more trust in open protocols than in centralized companies,” said Shane Mac, CEO of XMTP Labs, in a recent interview with Cointelegraph.
XMTP Labs focuses on building decentralized communication infrastructure, and Mac noted that growing global unrest is driving users to explore alternatives that prioritize privacy and resilience.
Meanwhile, WhatsApp—owned by Meta Platforms—reported in February that Russia had moved ahead with restrictions on the platform, leaving it inaccessible without VPNs or similar tools.
Mac argued that the dominance of centralized platforms over the past 15 years is beginning to shift. “The last 15 years have been centralized, and the next 15 are going to decentralize,” he said, adding that widespread shutdowns of major apps highlight the need for a more resilient, open foundation for communication.
“Open source is having a moment. Open protocols, open financial systems, open communication protocols, open identity standards. It’s going to be a really cool next era of the internet as decentralization and open standards come back.”
No single point of failure
Shane Mac explained that decentralized networks can act as a reliable fallback during times of unrest, as they are far more difficult to shut down due to the absence of a single point of failure.
Unlike centralized systems, which rely on servers controlled by one company, decentralized platforms are distributed across networks in multiple countries and maintained by their users. This makes them more resilient to censorship and outages.
Mac added that the technology continues to evolve rapidly as developers and users experiment with new approaches. He pointed to an example where someone integrated the XMTP Labs network into an open-source Bitchat client after facing shutdowns in their country. By combining mesh networking with decentralized infrastructure, the app no longer depended on a single vulnerable point.
Coexistence with centralized platforms
Despite growing adoption, decentralized messaging is unlikely to fully replace traditional platforms. A March 2 report from 360 Research Reports прогнозs strong growth in blockchain-based messaging, driven largely by increasing demand for privacy and secure communication.
Still, Mac believes centralized apps will continue to coexist with decentralized alternatives, with ongoing innovation playing a key role in sustaining momentum.
Data from Exploding Topics shows that users already divide their time across an average of 6.75 social media platforms each month.
“I don’t think it will end up killing things—you’re building something new,” Mac said, noting that older technologies like SMS and email have continued to exist alongside newer encrypted messaging platforms.
