Why Myriad Chose PWA
What’s a Progressive Web Application and why it matters to Web3
There’s been a heated discussion on Twitter recently addressing whether the App Store holds too much power over access to platforms. If you haven’t been following the drama, here is a brief overview.
- Apple is a gatekeeper for which apps are accepted into the App Store and available for Apple devices.
- Apple charges a 30% commission on in-app purchases.
In October 2022, Apple announced that apps could use in-app purchases to sell NFTs and services related to NFTs, such as minting, listing, and transferring, but those purchases will also be subject to a 30% commission. In addition, Apple doesn’t accept cryptocurrency payments, forcing NFT marketplaces to build additional infrastructure to reflect all denominations in fiat and support Apple’s payment system.
Apple even blocked the latest release of the Coinbase Wallet to try to collect “30% of the gas fee.” Since Apple doesn’t accept crypto, Coinbase responded that they “couldn’t even comply if they tried” and likened this move to Apple trying to muscle a “cut of fees for every email sent over open Internet protocols.”
The EU is currently pushing against Apple’s policies with a recent ruling to end unfair practices such as “gatekeeping” in the online platform economy. Apple will have until March 2024 to allow its customers to access apps from third-party app marketplaces outside of the App Store — and outside its 30% take. And developers, such as Open Web Advocacy, are further fighting for Apple to open up iOS to third-party browser engines (which is another rabbit hole you are welcome to pursue but beyond the scope of this article.)
While there is no denying that Apple’s reach to millions of users could accelerate the adoption of Web3-related technology, the concept of an app forced to relinquish 30% of its revenue merely to be available to Apple users is the very antithesis of Web3.
Myriad Social is a Decentralized and Censorship-Resistant Social Network
Myriad Social is a decentralized, censorship-resistant social network that enables users to host their own social network without centralized control. Thus, the idea of Myriad corroborating with a “walled-garden” platform for its app to gain exposure is wholly misplaced. Instead, Myriad has chosen to offer its app as a Progressive Web App (PWA), available here.
What’s a PWA?
In the same sense that an increasing number of desktop apps offer online functionality, Progressive Web Apps are web-based applications that offer the same functionality as native applications by capitalizing on advancements in browser technology. PWA is a mobile-first design strategy. With mobile subscriptions projected to grow to 5.7 billion (71% of the global population) by 2023, a mobile-first strategy makes perfect sense.
PWAs are called “progressive” because PWA developers practice an open web strategy called progressive enhancement, where they focus on the primary content and functionality of their app first and then progressively add any additional features that may be dependent on the browser and/or hardware capabilities — Think along the lines of responsive web design which adapts content to the end user’s device and screen size.
PWAs can be installed by anyone, anywhere, on any device with a single codebase. In addition, PWAs are search engine friendly, can be updated as frequently as a website can without having to pass some third-party review, can be created without a required developer license, and allow developers to keep all of their earnings.
What is Myriad?
Myriad.Social was designed to hand control back to social media users and content developers. Myriad’s a decentralized social platform where users can browse native content or content from Web2 social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit, without leaving the Myriad platform. In addition, Myriad Social sports its own Metaverse, Myriad.Town, which stands at the crossroads of real and digital life
Built on top of the Myriad blockchain, Myriad has no central point of control, it’s censorship-resistant. In addition, Myriad allows sovereign control, as all data is stored within user-hosted instances with the freedom to host.
Myriad is currently challenging the future of social media with four noteworthy features, amongst others:
Federated Free Speech
Myriad allows users to host their own social network and be part of the Federation. With self-hosting, users can set up their own server and invite others to join. This allows anyone to create their own social network without relying on a centralized service.
Decentralize Other Social Networks
Current social media posts are centralized. Myriad Social decentralizes them. Myriad Social’s crowdsourced mechanism of importing Web2 social media posts means that Myriad Social users can follow people on centralized social networks without having an account there.
Crypto Value Layer
Myriad enables users to aggregate posts from other social networks, like Twitter or Reddit, and import them into the blockchain. This effectively turns each post into a tipping wallet, allowing mainstream social media users to receive cryptocurrency for their content. This is a nod toward Web3 adoption.
Own the platform
Myriad Social is a self-governing social media platform powered by $MYRIA token holders and users. This decentralized structure allows for a more democratic and fair governance system that is not centrally controlled.
Cut Through the Censorship
As social media becomes increasingly censored, there is a growing need for platforms free from surveillance and gatekeeping. While the representation and discoverability of Web3 applications may currently be throttled by Web2 centralized monopolies, to give in to their demands would be to abandon the core tenets of the free, open, and fairer Internet that Web3 represents. Bravo Myriad!
Follow Myriad:
To install Myriad’s PWA, go here.
