The Handshake of Sovereignty
While platforms act as walls, protocols act as bridges. A protocol like HTTP or RSS does not care who is talking; it only cares that the language is correct. This indifference is the foundation of digital freedom. In the Three Pillars framework, Protocol is the architecture of the Second Pillar: Connection.
Field Notes
The "Extinction" Risk: Protocols rarely die, but they can be "starved." When corporate silos (like Facebook) refuse to support open standards (like RSS), the protocol remains but its traffic withers.
The Shift: Moving your digital life from a platform to a protocol is the ultimate act of Sovereignty. It means you can change your software without losing your audience or data.