SCIENCE IN THE MAKING: PRACTICING DIGITAL SOVEREIGNTY IN PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES, OPENING THE DOORS TO THE FEDIVERSE

• Grant number: 25/05021-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Journalism
• Start date: June 01, 2025
• End date: May 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Principal Investigator: Rafael de Almeida Evangelista
• Grantee: Damny Alexander Laya Rodriguez
• Host Institution: Núcleo de Desenvolvimento da Criatividade (NUDECRI). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Fundação De Amparo À Pesquisa Do Estado De São Paulo/Sde, Brazil

Abstract

This journalistic research proposal aims to structure a scientific outreach plan for the Laboratory for Advanced Studies in Journalism (Labjor), with a special focus on the project 'The Fediverse in Public Universities: Initiatives for Building Digital Sovereignty in São Paulo's Universities.' The project seeks to contribute to digital sovereignty in public institutions, particularly within São Paulo's public universities, by exploring the potential of the Fediverse-a network of interconnected decentralized platforms, including social networks-as an autonomous and democratic space for scientific communication. Stemming from Labjor's experience at Unicamp, which set up its own server and created a Mastodon instance (a key Fediverse platform), this initiative represents a strategic step toward disseminating the lab's work on alternative networks (e.g., Pixelfed, BlueSky, PeerTube) instead of Big Tech-controlled platforms like Facebook, X, and Instagram, which pose challenges to digital sovereignty. The proposal's execution involves: (i) structuring Labjor's communications across both centralized social media (leveraging their reach) and the Fediverse (via a website and decentralized networks) to share the project's progress and insights on digital sovereignty; (ii) covering project events and interviewing researchers to document and disseminate their findings across these platforms; and (iii) producing critical public-interest journalism (text, audio, video) about the project's research on digital sovereignty in public universities, with a focus on São Paulo's institutions.