Decentralized Social Platforms: A Comparative Analysis of IndieWeb and Federated Social Networks (KEY IJP************760)

• Vaibhav Shankar Mishra,Khushi Naithani,Amit Srivastava

Abstract

Users face simultaneous threats to privacy and data sovereignty because digital communication now relies on dominantcentralized platforms. This research presents a comprehensive comparative analysis of two decentralized social networkingparadigms: Two decentralized social networking systems known as IndieWeb and Federated Social Networks are examinedfor their technological foundations alongside their philosophical underpinnings and their potential to disrupt the way peopleconnect online. This research evaluates the functionality of alternative platforms through an organized critique of technicalstandards along with user control systems and deployment approaches to show how these new networks disrupt mainstreamsocial media institutions. This study combines literature review and technical protocol analysis with comparative frameworkdevelopment to examine past and contemporary social media. It assesses their functionality and transformative potentialthrough a mixed-methods research design. IndieWeb supports networked website self-ownership alongside personal contentsharing networks yet Federated Social Networks allow servers to speak with one another and achieve cross-platformcommunication. Digital decentralization models share three fundamental features including user privacy protection alongwith digital sovereignty control along with openly sourced principles. The analysis demonstrates vital understanding abouthow network technologies work and the difficulties they face to interact together and why people do not use them. Theresearch develops a comprehensive framework which evaluates how new decentralized alternatives to social platformsconnect with one another while identifying future possibilities for digital networking frameworks.