The Manifesto of Social Sovereignty: Beyond the Elites
In the old world of Web 2.0, "Social Media" changed the flow of content. We moved from one-way broadcasting (TV, newspapers) to a "two-way" street where users created the content. Social Sovereignty is the same evolution, but for power.
From "One-Way" Power to "Mutual Responsibility"
Sovereignty used to be something held only by the "Big People"—governments, billionaires like Elon Musk, and the tech elites. They made the rules, and we just lived in their "walled gardens."
But when we add the word "Social" to "Sovereignty," everything changes:
- It is Reciprocal: My freedom to speak and exist on the Fediverse depends on your freedom to host your own instance. We protect each other’s sovereignty by following the ActivityPub protocol.
- It is Federated Governance: We don't need a "Global King." Power is decentralised into instances. If a community doesn't like the rules of one server, they have the Sovereign Right to Exit and start their own.
- It is Community Defense: Moderation isn't a secret algorithm; it's a social responsibility. We decide who we federate with and who we block to keep our spaces safe from oppressors.
Why the Protocol Matters
Just as "Social Media" relies on the web, "Social Sovereignty" relies on the protocol. Because ActivityPub is open, no elite can "own" our connections. Our social graph is ours. Our data is ours. Our community is ours.
This is the end of digital colonialism. This is the beginning of Social Sovereignty.
