Lens Protocol is a decentralized social media platform built on the Polygon blockchain, with the aim of allowing users to own their social media content, connections, and digital identity. Unlike traditional platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube, where companies control the data, algorithms, and user engagement, Lens offers a decentralized infrastructure that enables users to retain ownership of their social graph.
However, Lens only provides the underlying infrastructure for this decentralized ecosystem, and it is up to the front-end clients to build the user-facing experiences, such as the algorithms that curate content feeds. Despite its potential, Lens is facing significant challenges in delivering a user-friendly experience, especially in terms of content discovery. This episode will explore how the lack of proper algorithms across its main front-end clients—Hey, Butterfly, and Orb—is stifling the platform’s growth and user engagement
The Importance of Algorithms in Content Discovery
One of the most glaring issues with Lens is the lack of a robust feed algorithm on its front-end clients. Traditional social media platforms rely heavily on algorithms to curate and present content that is relevant to individual users. These algorithms track user behavior—likes, shares, comments, and time spent on content—to tailor each user’s feed based on their interests.
On Lens, however, there is no meaningful algorithm in place across the main front-end clients to perform this function. Whether you’re using Hey, Butterfly, or Orb, the content you see often appears randomly, without any logic or personalization. Even posts from people you follow frequently fail to show up in your feed, forcing users to manually check each profile for updates. This kind of disjointed experience reduces user engagement and frustrates creators who want their content to reach a broader audience.
Given that Lens has been operational for over two years, one would expect that developing a robust feed algorithm would have been a top priority, especially since the protocol has ambitions for mainstream adoption. Without a functioning discovery mechanism, it’s difficult for users—especially those outside the crypto space—to find value in the platform, and even harder for them to stick around.
Front-End Clients' Role in Building Algorithms
It's important to clarify that Lens Protocol itself only provides the infrastructure for the decentralized social graph; it’s the front-end clients like Hey, Butterfly, and Orb that are responsible for creating user experiences, including the feed algorithms. While this decentralized nature offers users freedom and flexibility, it has also created a fragmented user experience. None of the major front-end clients has implemented a sophisticated feed algorithm, leaving content discovery completely up to the user’s manual efforts.
Lens, as a protocol, should be actively engaging with these front-end clients to ensure that they prioritize the creation of intelligent feed algorithms. While decentralization offers users ownership of their data, it also places a greater burden on the front-end interfaces to ensure that users can easily discover content that’s relevant to them. Without such collaboration and guidance, the platform’s promise of mass adoption remains far out of reach.
Lack of Engagement Mechanisms to Hook Users
In addition to the absence of a proper algorithm, Lens is also missing key engagement mechanisms that have become crucial for user retention on other social media platforms. Features like video reels, short-form content, and interactive features are missing, which makes it harder for the platform to hook new users and keep them engaged.
Platforms like Instagram and TikTok have perfected the art of using video content and personalized feeds to captivate users, providing addictive scrolling experiences that keep people on the app for longer periods of time. Lens currently doesn’t have anything comparable across its front-end clients.
The result is that Lens feels like a closed ecosystem, where most users are early adopters or believers in the Web3 space. While this community is loyal, it’s not enough to achieve mass adoption. If Lens wants to attract mainstream users, it needs to offer engagement tools and personalized feeds that can compete with traditional platforms. Without features that hook new users, Lens risks remaining a niche platform with limited growth potential.
Discovery of New Creators is Stifled
Another major issue is the stifled discovery of new creators. On traditional platforms like Twitter or TikTok, algorithms play a key role in exposing users to new creators they don’t follow but might be interested in. This helps foster growth for creators and keeps content fresh for users.
On Lens, new creators struggle to gain visibility due to the absence of a viral mechanism or recommendation engine. Content from smaller or newer creators is often lost in the noise, with users forced to manually search for creators or rely on direct engagement. This lack of organic discovery stifles creativity and makes it harder for the platform to nurture new talent.
If the front-end clients—Hey, Butterfly, and Orb—implemented better discovery tools, such as recommended content or trending posts, it would drastically improve the experience for both creators and users. Without this, creators have little chance of expanding their reach beyond their immediate followers.
Missed Opportunities for Mainstream Adoption
Lens has been in development for over two years, yet its lack of essential social media features is holding it back from gaining mainstream attention. For Lens to appeal to everyday users who are used to the seamless experiences of platforms like Instagram or YouTube, it needs to offer more than just decentralized data ownership. It needs to provide an intuitive, engaging, and addictive user experience.
Without a strong algorithm, new users have no reason to stay. If Lens really wants to achieve mass adoption, it needs to focus on the user experience and content engagement, areas where it is currently falling far behind its competitors. Features like intelligent feeds, viral content mechanisms, and engagement hooks (such as short-form video content) should be at the top of the priority list for front-end developers.
How to Fix This: Suggestions for Improvement
1. Build Strong Feed Algorithms on Front-End Clients: Lens should engage with the developers of Hey, Butterfly, and Orb to prioritize the development of smart feed algorithms that surface content based on user preferences and interactions. This will vastly improve the user experience and make content discovery more personalized.
2. Introduce Engagement Features: Lens front-end clients should consider introducing features like short-form videos, live streaming, and other interactive elements to keep users engaged. These features have proven to be successful hooks for mainstream users on other platforms.
3. Enable Virality: To drive user engagement, Lens needs to implement mechanisms that enable content to go viral. Front-end clients should create tools that push content with high engagement to more users, encouraging wider distribution and visibility.
4. Improve Content Discovery: Lens and its front-end clients should work together to improve the discoverability of new creators. Features like explore pages, recommended content, and trending topics will help new voices get noticed and ensure that the platform remains fresh and diverse.
5. Focus on User Retention: To keep users engaged, Lens needs to focus on user retention strategies. This means creating an ecosystem where users don’t just come to post once and leave, but where they feel incentivized to return regularly.
Conclusion
While Lens Protocol offers groundbreaking potential in terms of decentralized data ownership and user-controlled social media, the platform’s lack of meaningful feed algorithms and engagement features is holding it back from reaching its full potential. The responsibility for building these features lies with the front-end clients—Hey, Butterfly, and Orb—and it’s crucial that they prioritize these areas if Lens is to achieve mass adoption. Without a functioning content discovery system and tools to engage and retain users, Lens risks remaining a niche platform, disconnected from the mainstream audience it hopes to attract.
