Meta, TikTok, Google, and Co. shape our digital public sphere: the algorithms on their social media platforms determine what we see, what we talk about, and how our perception of reality is formed. A study published in November 2025 by the Bertelsmann Stiftung and the University of Potsdam showed that during the 2025 federal election campaign in Germany, political parties were unequally advantaged or disadvantaged by platform algorithms.
This report builds on these findings and highlights why our digital public sphere’s dependence on a few non-European companies is so problematic. As an alternative, it demonstrates that practical solutions exist: open, decentralized social media platforms such as Mastodon or Bluesky can reduce dependency and strengthen a resilient digital information ecosystem. They allow local control over data, promote diversity and transparency, and have the potential to break up monopolistic structures in the platform economy.
The report provides an overview of how decentralized social media platforms work technically, how they structurally differ from TikTok, X, or Instagram, and how they can be systematically strengthened. It formulates concrete recommendations on three levels: how the products themselves need to improve, which political frameworks are now required, and how societal embedding can be ensured to strategically enhance the public visibility of decentralized networks. In this way, the report offers not only an analysis of the status quo but also strategic guidance for policymakers, civil society, and the media.
