MIT Unveils Social.Wiki: Social Sites Users Can Edit

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) introduced on October 29 Social.Wiki — an experimental platform for social web applications that allows users to modify their features and decide which changes made by other people they want to see.

The idea is to reduce dependence on decisions made by a single central platform operator. For example, a participant could remove an unwanted chatbot from an application within the system or propose a new feature for their community. Changes can be made by editing code or with help from an AI assistant.

The team calls its approach plural governance. Each user can set rules for which versions and edits they accept, including choosing editors they trust. In this way, two people can see different versions of the same service without necessarily losing their connection to one another.

According to MIT, the architecture separates user data from the applications accessing it and includes a mechanism to control access to that information. The team has demonstrated prototypes including communication services and a ride-sharing tool.

Social.Wiki remains at an early research stage. The scientists plan broader testing, additional developer tools and better protection for private communications. The announcement does not describe a ready-made replacement for today's major social networks.

Source: MIT News, Adam Zewe, October 29, 2026 — reporting on the research paper “Social.Wiki: A Web Held in Common”.

Illustrative photo: Goran Ivos / Unsplash. This is not a screenshot of Social.Wiki.