We are living through a tumultuous time for the world’s information ecosystem, and nowhere is this more apparent than in the social media space. Between platforms being weaponised by reactionary forces and the resulting legislative blowback from governmental bodies, social media has never before been so politicised.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the decentralised microblogging space, with Bluesky and other networks subject to everything from age verification laws to thinly-veiled threats by American conservative politicians. Yet, perhaps decentralisation is a route by which we can start building a better social media, one that is more user-centric and prioritises social needs over the profit of large corporations.

In this topic we can analyse Blacksky, Eurosky and Northsky as alternative futures for social media, and why data sovereignty is increasingly important for how we structure these information webs.