Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin announced plans to fully return to decentralized social media by 2026 and advocates for user-centric communication tools rather than short-term interactions. Previously, Mask Network took over the management of the Lens protocol. Buterin emphasized that decentralization is key to competition, allowing multiple clients to interact on a shared data layer, and he noted that he is increasingly using platforms like Firefly. He criticized projects that rely on speculative tokens and praised teams like Aave and Mask Network for focusing on core social utility rather than financial engineering.