RSS Feeds See Renewed Interest Amid Concerns Over Social Media and Privacy

Staff Reporter

Women look at security cameras — Matthew Henry / Unsplash

James McGrath examines the potential resurgence of RSS (Really Simple Syndication), detailing its historical role in content syndication and its decline due to social media dominance, the 2013 shutdown of Google Reader, and the shift toward algorithm-driven platforms. Despite its reduced visibility, RSS remains in use, particularly in podcasting, and is regaining attention due to concerns over platform control, social media fatigue, and privacy. Modern tools like Feedly, Inoreader, Mailbrew, and Readwise Reader, along with decentralized platforms like Mastodon’s ActivityPub, provide alternatives to algorithmic feeds.

McGrath highlights RSS’s accessibility advantages, particularly for users with cognitive disabilities, and considers whether its renewed interest could impact content management systems like Drupal, which historically supported open syndication. He concludes by prompting readers to reflect on whether they would use RSS again.

Reference: Could RSS Make a Comeback? A Look at Its Potential Revival by James McGrath (3 March 2025)

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