Elon Musk is now showing his full support for the far right, while his micro-blogging platform X (formerly Twitter) played a role in the election campaign that led to the re-election of Donald Trump in the United States. At the same time, Mark Zuckerberg, head of Meta (Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp), has modified the moderation policies of his platforms, leading to greater tolerance of xenophobic and homophobic comments and other incitements to hatred, and announced the abolition of ‘fact checking’, which helped to combat the spread of fake news.

Against this backdrop, the beginning of 2025 saw the rise of the ‘HelloQuitX’ movement, a call to leave X en masse on 20 January, the day of Donald Trump’s mandate inauguration, in order to adopt alternatives and preserve our democracies. These include Mastodon, a free and decentralised alternative, with no algorithms and no advertising, which is part of a wider ecosystem known as the ’Fediverse’: a collection of software offering different functions but based on a common protocol. And what if this universe was also a way out for those who want to leave Instagram or Facebook behind?

But what is a decentralised social network? How does it differ from the platforms we usually use? Why should you set up shop here, and how do you fit in? And why choose Fediverse over Bluesky?

Breaking away from the business and profit logic of mainstream social networks, the Fediverse ecosystem invites you to a different, non-commercial, more human experience, marked by practices of accessibility and inclusiveness.

On 17 February and 26 February, our partner organisation TacTic offers two opportunities to discover and better understand these alternatives together. These two workshops are independent moments to discover and learn how Mastodon and Fédiverse work. Depending on demand, other workshops may be organised to take a closer look at the federation mechanisms between instances and moderation policies.

Language: French.
Registration is recommended but not compulsory at: info@tacticasbl.be