[zepto]

Would you say Fastmail is a social network?

[_2d30]

Does Fastmail limit any of the social features of its product to communications with other Fastmail users or is Fastmail an interface to the generic, open email protocols?

[zepto]

What had that got to do with anything?

Is Matrix a social network?

[_2d30]

Can you define what a social network is then?

As for Matrix, I’m not personally familiar with it but a quick look up suggests it’s a protocol so by my offered explanation, the answer is no.

[zepto]

“Can you define what a social network is then?“

In my view, we’re talking about a term which is in general usage in the mainstream media.

It means things like Facebook and Twitter, but obviously others like Instagram, Gab, etc.

These all seem to enable public discourse of one kind or another.

Private 1-1 messaging platforms and merely social features - e.g. an Apple Music family plan, seem to have very little to do with this.

Just because a feature involves more than one user, it doesn’t become a ‘social network’.