Decentralized social media (DSM) is experiencing a surge of interest, again. According to TrendFeedr, over 150 DSM ventures have collectively raised roughly US$ 459 million across 71 funding rounds—averaging growth of about 20 % over the past five years, and increasing steadily each month. This trend reflects a growing appetite for platforms that offer user data control, privacy, governance transparency, and monetization features via NFTs, tokens, and blockchain, appealing to creators and communities frustrated by centralized giants.
Recent academic and industry reports highlight that DSM platforms utilize federated open-source protocols, blockchain, or peer-to-peer architectures. Their core promise is user stewardship, granting users control over content and algorithms, and fair value distribution. The European Blockchain Observatory report distinguishes between open-source free software models and blockchain-based solutions, both seeking decentralization but differing philosophicallyM one prioritizing democratization, the other focusing on digital rights via blockchain infrastructure.
Adoption and challenges
Bluesky, built on the AT Protocol, grew from less than a million users in early 2023 to over 35 million by April 2025 . Mastodon remains active with more than 2 million monthly users and transitioning under a European nonprofit . But growth brings challenges: Bluesky grapples with bot proliferation, impersonation, moderation demands, and waning activity post-election peaks . These issues highlight the tension between openness and platform integrity.
Trust in centralized platforms is weakening, at the same time, Facebook and X are declining as news sources while video-driven networks, such as TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, grow. This fragmentation opens space for “pro-social media”: user-controlled, empathetic ecosystems built on decentralization, fact-checking, better context, and community. Initiatives like Meta’s Threads joining the Fediverse and Stanford’s AI tools for compassionate content moderation reflect this shift .
Will it stick this time?
Despite renewed interest and funding, DSM remains niche. A recent Springer study labels DSM as “a potential alternative” that is still far behind centralized platforms. Mainstream adoption faces friction from usability hurdles, scalability concerns, and fragmented governance.
Yet, with over US$ 458 million invested, high-profile examples like Bluesky, and growing trust fatigue with Big Tech, DSM could feasibly embed itself as a parallel internet layer. Its endurance, however, depends on balancing decentralization ideals with resilient moderation, intuitive UX, and visible utility to everyday users.
