Social media play a central role in politics, public debate, and everyday social interaction. Unlike traditional media, big tech platforms such as Meta and X use opaque algorithms to determine what content users see, without editorial responsibility or transparency. As these companies exert increasing political influence, criticism grows, along with the demand for alternatives that uphold public values, autonomy, and innovation.
From within the creative industry, decentralized platforms such as Mastodon, PeerTube, and Pixelfed have been developed. These are part of the fediverse: an open network of social media applications based on public values and open protocols. Despite these ideals, adoption and use remain limited.
To support the transition toward more successful alternatives, Waag Futurelab launched the initiative Public Nodes. In collaboration with partners, Waag investigates the conditions necessary for a shift from big tech to the fediverse. The central question is: what is needed to support designers in creating compelling, widely adopted fediverse platforms?
Public Nodes focuses on developing a transition strategy, a toolkit with validated governance and business models, and practical experimentation in Living Labs. This research is conducted in collaboration with our partners including ProcoliX, Post-X-Society and Radboud University Nijmegen.
