5th ISA Forum of Sociology (6-11 July 2025)

However, at the same time communities and projects have build countermovements to digital platforms controlled by large tech companies: free and open-source software, Wikipedia and other collaborative websites, the Fediverse as a federated form of social media, platform cooperatives etc.

These movements are based on the concept of digital commons defining an area of public digital goods that shouldn’t be controlled by private interests. Their governance, however, remains a real challenge. Digital commons are provided by diverse forms of organisations from communities of volunteers via non-profit organisations and cooperatives to private companies. The modes of governance differ as well: meritocracy, representative and direct democracy. Some even are governed by founders acting as “benevolent dictators”.

In some cases the limits of open governance become obvious: self-appointed elites, cryptic structures, socio-demographic closure, sexism and mobbing. Many projects already have reacted to these limits of open governance setting up measures to foster diversity, inclusion, and democratic decision-making.

This regular session will discuss the limits as well as concepts and solutions for a more inclusive and democratic governance of digital commons.