Research Question
My practice-based research investigates decentralised, federated, and grassroots platforms that aim to serve as alternatives to big-tech web solutions. I ask the question: with many interconnected networks of anarchists, coders, non-profits, open-source projects, and a history of attempts to actualise an alternative, more utopian vision of the web, what stops communities and individuals from making the transition to adopt these alternatives, and how can I best serve as a catalyst to develop and clarify existing protocols for exit?
The current internet is embedded within the digital economy, a range of businesses that rely upon technology, data and the internet for their business models (Srnicek, 2017). Over time we have seen a degradation of these services, led by the infinite need for growth under capitalism, which directly has the effect of hollowing out the services that once were useful; where we saw our friends posts and not just ads, before the infinite scroll. These platforms are increasing the ongoing data surveillance and extraction of our personal data, all the while becoming more ad-driven and less tangibly useful. As Muldoon argues we must imagine alternatives based on “platform socialism”, that serve our interests, responds to our needs and over which we exercise control (Muldoon, 2022, p.135).
As part of my practice-led research I aim to not simply extract information from these communities; I aim to actively embody the politics of the field within my daily life, the tooling I use and my approach to strengthening my connection to my friends and local communities. My evolving practice resonates with the idea of praxis as a “continuous interplay of transformative action and critical reflection” (The Alliance for Praxis Research, n.d.). The methods I will incorporate are those of interviews with community members engaged and new to the topic, the iterative design and development of tools and protocols that emerge from my participation within these communities and a reflection into my ongoing practice, contributions and participation.
The project builds off foundations laid throughout the lineage of the internet and decentralised, open source democratic software, leveraging private or state designed infrastructure where necessary. The research does not aim to build tools from the ground up, but to serve as an addition to the ad-hoc, intuitive approach of hackers and proletariat makers pushing for an alternative. However, leveraging existing infrastructure — its undersea cables, data centres, and transnational chokepoints — leaves these alternatives open to filtering and surveillance (Bratton, 2016). This in some communities leads to a more local-first approach and the emerging technologies that rely on low-res mesh networks and radio. I am currently involved in a local community based in Merri-bek that aims to experiment with the feasibility of these as alternatives to embedded infrastructure.
References
Bratton, B.H. (2016) The Stack: On Software and Sovereignty. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Muldoon, J. (2022) Platform Socialism: How to Reclaim Our Digital Future from Big Tech. London: Pluto Press.
Srnicek, N. (2017) Platform Capitalism. Cambridge: Polity Press.
The Alliance for Praxis Research (n.d.) Praxis Lab. Available at: https://www.aprcollective.com/praxis-lab (Accessed: 23 March 2026).