232: Decentralizing the Internet—Joshua Meng on How RSS3 is Building the Open Web

Is the internet becoming more centralized and restricted? 🌍 In this episode of Web3 with Sam Kamani, I sit down with Joshua Meng from RSS3 to discuss the importance of decentralizing content, making the internet more open, and how RSS3 is powering AI agents and Web3 applications.Key topics we cover:✅ Why traditional RSS doesn’t work for Web3✅ How RSS3 is enabling decentralized AI & open content aggregation✅ The role of RSS3 in making AI agents smarter✅ How developers can build & monetize their own data nodes✅ Why the internet is becoming more siloed & how Web3 can fix itIf you're passionate about open information, AI, and the future of decentralized content, this is a must-listen!Key Timestamps[00:00:00] Introduction: Sam introduces Joshua Meng from RSS3 and the vision behind decentralizing content distribution.[00:01:00] Joshua’s Background & Journey into Web3 How his experience in social media & publishing led him to decentralization The early days of RSS and how RSS3 is rethinking it for Web3[00:03:00] What is RSS3? How is it Different from Traditional RSS? Why Web3 content isn’t structured the same way as Web1 How RSS3 works like Google for Web3 content—indexing and structuring decentralized data Why forcing every dApp to follow a single standard won’t work[00:06:00] AI Agents & RSS3: The Future of Machine Intelligence How RSS3 is enabling AI agents to access decentralized data Why AI models need decentralized content sources to function effectively Recent integrations with AI-powered projects like Hayan & Virtuous Game Framework[00:08:00] How to Use RSS3—Developers & AI Integration The step-by-step process to access RSS3’s decentralized data How to run your own RSS3 node and monetize data access How AI agents can “subscribe” to Web3 content[00:10:00] Running an RSS3 Node—Cost & Setup The low cost of running a node (~$20/month on a cloud provider) How developers can monetize their node by providing structured data Why this model is similar to The Graph, but for Web3 content[00:12:00] Who is Using RSS3 Today? Follow.is: A rapidly growing Web3-powered RSS reader Web3.bio: Aggregating social feeds across decentralized platforms Fungi & Mask Network: Using RSS3 for DeFi & social content tracking[00:14:00] The Long-Term Vision for RSS3 Why Web3 will be multi-protocol and need a unified data layer The internet is becoming more fragmented—how RSS3 can keep it open Why RSS3 wants to be the decentralized content hub[00:16:00] The Biggest Challenge—Growing Web3 Adoption Why Web3 still struggles with usability & terminology The challenge of convincing users to switch from centralized platforms How RSS3 depends on the success of decentralized social networks[00:19:00] Final Thoughts & Call to Action Developers: Join the RSS3 ecosystem & run a node Why an open internet matters more than ever RSS3 is hiring & looking for community contributorsConnecthttps://rss3.io/https://www.linkedin.com/company/rss3/https://x.com/rss3_https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-meng-047704261/https://x.com/joshuarss3https://follow.is/DisclaimerNothing mentioned in this podcast is investment advice and please do your own research. Finally, it would mean a lot if you can leave a review of this podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share this podcast with a friend.Be a guest on the podcast or contact us - https://www.web3pod.xyz/