Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin announced that he plans to fully return to using decentralized social media by 2026.
In 2026, I plan to be fully back to decentralized social.
— vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) January 21, 2026
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
He stated that the world needs fundamentally new tools for mass communication. Buterin explained that it's time for people to move away from the model where everyone simply posts in one giant "information battleground," as seen on modern platforms like X.
"We need mass communication tools that serve the long-term interests of users, rather than maximizing short-term engagement. There is no simple trick to solve these problems. But one important starting point is more competition," the programmer wrote.
On January 23, 2026, Buterin added that in 2025 he made two significant changes to his software usage:
- Switched to Fileverse.io for open, encrypted, decentralized documents.
- Chose Signal as his primary messaging app instead of Telegram.
In 2026, he plans to replace Google Maps with OpenStreetMap, an open-source project where users worldwide create the maps.
"It's important to reduce the number of applications, services, and people who know anything about your location,"
noted the Ethereum co-founder.
Instead of Gmail, Buterin opted for ProtonMail, a Swiss secure email service that uses end-to-end encryption.
He is also exploring local LLM solutions, which currently lack comprehensive integration. For instance, there is no convenient universal interface (like a "Google Translate" equivalent) that combines local models, audio transcription, and personal document search.
"Ideally, we should advance the use of local LLMs as much as possible, applying specialized fine-tuned models to compensate for the small number of parameters where feasible,"
the programmer emphasized.
Buterin identified decentralization as the key method to achieve this: with a shared data layer, anyone can create their own interface on top of it.
His comments came amid changes in two key projects. On January 20, the decentralized social platform Lens Protocol announced that its future 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 following day, a similar announcement was made by Farcaster, which will transfer its entire tech stack—smart contracts, source code, main application, and the acquired token launch platform Clanker—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 has become clear that Farcaster needs a new approach and leadership to unlock its full potential," wrote co-founder Dan Romero.
Although neither Lens Protocol nor Farcaster has released their own tokens yet, Buterin criticized the prevalent approach in the industry.
He noted that many social blockchain projects merely add a speculative element and present it as innovation.
"Too often in the crypto community, it is assumed that if you attach a speculative coin to something, it automatically becomes 'innovation' and drives progress forward," he wrote.
The Ethereum co-founder stressed that the real challenge lies in addressing the fundamental social issues inherent in modern platforms.
"Decentralized social networks should be led by people who genuinely believe in a 'social' mission and whose primary motivation is to solve social problems," Buterin concluded.
Recall that in January, he criticized the existing model of DAOs and urged the community to develop more effective solutions.