All modern social networks are basically the same. You can post text, photos, videos. Some even support audio. But they’re all closed off from each other.

Now imagine this: you can read TikTok from Mastodon. Or subscribe to a YouTube channel from Bluesky, like it’s just another account in your feed. Or read Substack posts inside Threads.

The answer already exists. Most platforms already have RSS feeds (some public, some hidden). And many RSS feeds already include rich media: text, images, video, audio — sometimes even files via <enclosure>.

This kind of future is already partially possible — especially in the Fediverse, where bots and parsers can deliver content across platforms. You can follow Bluesky feeds, Mastodon accounts, even podcasts, blogs, or YouTube channels. But right now it all feels like duct tape and magic — servers, APIs, proxies, and background scripts. It really feels like this should be much simpler.

To be fair, RSS isn’t strictly required — the real goal is for any social network to be able to follow any other. No need for cross-posting, duplicate accounts, or “check out my Instagram here” links. You should just be able to read what you want, where you want. That said, right now, RSS is still the most practical and universal tool for this.

Right now, it's still a bit of a mess to make it work. But the idea is simple: we just want to subscribe and read, without worrying about formats or protocols. Wherever you are, you follow what interests you — and it shows up in your feed.