Decentralized diffusion: Decomposing information diffusion in federated social networks

This work examines information diffusion in decentralized social media platforms, specifically on Mastodon due to its federated architecture. Unlike centralized platforms like Twitter, Mastodon distributes content across independently operated yet interconnected servers, known as "instances." In this decentralized environment, inter-instance diffusion plays a critical role in shaping communication patterns. Using a dataset of Mastodon posts, or "toots," related to the Gaza conflict, we analyzed how user-, toot-, and instance-level characteristics drive cross-instance diffusion. Our findings demonstrate that these features collectively shape diffusion, with instance-level characteristics playing a particularly crucial role. This work contributes to the theories of decentralized communication by emphasizing the importance of federated architectures and inter-instance interactions. Practical implications include strategies for platform governance, crisis communication, and misinformation control, with a focus on the potential of decentralized platforms to balance localized interactions with global reach.