Federating the alternatives

Alternative decentralized and free social media are developing continuously on the fringes of the mainstream corporate digital platforms. Drawing on STS (science and technology studies) approaches, our methodology consists in identifying and ‘tracking’ online debates around the development of ActivityPub, the computer protocol that ensures the interoperability of the Fediverse, an ecosystem of alternative social media. We focus on four key points: 1) the origins of the protocol; 2) a controversy between ActivityPub and a competing protocol; 3) a proposal to extend the protocol to address the rise of hate groups; and 4) Meta’s involvement in the Fediverse through its new social media platform Threads. Our study highlights the tensions that exist between different values at stake in the development of alternative social media. It describes the Fediverse as a political battleground for the governance of an alternative internet.