Overview
DeSo is a Layer 1 blockchain designed from scratch for social media, where every post, profile, follow, and interaction is stored directly on-chain. Founded by Nader Al-Naji and backed by prominent investors including Sequoia and Andreessen Horowitz, DeSo launched with significant fanfare in 2021 under the original name BitClout, which allowed users to trade creator coins linked to Twitter profiles.
The chain uses a custom Proof-of-Stake consensus and can handle thousands of social transactions per second at negligible cost. Multiple front-end applications have been built on DeSo, with Diamond being the most prominent. The architecture is genuinely different from general-purpose chains — it has native primitives for social actions rather than requiring smart contracts.
However, DeSo has lost the decentralized social media narrative to Farcaster and Lens Protocol, both of which benefit from stronger developer ecosystems and more organic growth. DeSo's on-chain activity has declined dramatically from its 2021-2022 peaks.
Risk Factors
- Social media activity has declined severely — most metrics show >90% drop from peaks
- Lost the decentralized social narrative to Farcaster and Lens Protocol
- BitClout predecessor had controversial launch trading on others' identities without consent
- Centralized development with limited community governance
Conclusion
DeSo was ahead of its time in building a social-media-native blockchain but failed to sustain user interest as competitors emerged. The 2.4 score reflects solid early technical innovation against the harsh reality of a dying ecosystem and reputational baggage from the BitClout era.