A new proposal challenges how social media stores user data. Instead of apps owning your posts and follows, imagine a personal 'everything folder' where each social interaction becomes a file. This social filesystem model, inspired by personal computing, suggests apps should merely read and write to your data, not trap it. The AT protocol already implements this, powering apps like Bluesky.

This approach flips the current model. Today, your data lives in isolated app databases. A social filesystem makes user data the source of truth. Apps become reactive views of your folder, not its gatekeepers. This separation, familiar from open file formats like SVG, could prevent platform lock-in and let new apps emerge for old data, fostering true data portability.

The concept isn't purely theoretical. The AT protocol, used by Bluesky and others, treats social actions as structured records in a distributed network. While it doesn't feel different to users, it fundamentally shifts control. The question remains whether mainstream platforms will adopt this open model or continue walling off user data within their proprietary silos.