Decentralised social media is growing fast. Whether users want it is another question.

The Business Research Company has a new market report out, and it is bullish on blockchain flavoured social networks. The firm projects that the global market for decentralised blockchain-flavoured social media platforms will grow from $2.38 billion in 2024 to $2.91 billion in 2025. The drivers, according to the report, are the usual cocktail of data privacy worries, irritation with centralised peer-to-peer moderation and a rising appetite for “digital freedom.”

The study links that momentum to increased use of peer-to-peer networks and a growing mistrust of conventional social platforms. In its view, this is not just a niche rebellion against mainstream feeds but a trend powered by users who want more control over how their information moves around.

By 2029, the market is forecast to hit $6.41 billion, which implies a post-2025 compound annual growth rate of 21.9 per cent. The report frames that leap as a mix of blockchain-based content sharing, token incentives, transparent governance models and a preference for services that promise to resist censorship. It also credits backing from infrastructure providers and highlights advances in blockchain scalability, decentralised governance, user monetisation, interoperability and smart contract automation.

One of the main forces pushing this market forward, the researchers argue, is the simple fact that people are tired of having their data hoovered up. The report says decentralised platforms “endow users with cryptographic governance over their identities and content,” reducing third-party access and promoting more transparent use of personal information. To underline the point, it cites UK government data from April 2024 that found 22 per cent of businesses and 14 per cent of charities experienced cybercrime incidents in the previous year, with higher rates for larger organisations.

Geographically, the centre of gravity is split. North America is identified as the largest regional market in 2024, while Asia-Pacific is expected to notch the fastest growth over the coming years. The study slices the market by token type, technology adoption, user demographics, incentive and monetisation models and specific applications. Its list of major players reads like a mix of early blockchain experiments and newer decentralised upstarts, including Odyssey Group, Steemit, Elixio Network, 3Speak, Showtime, friend.tech, Karma DAO, Only1, Torum and Farcaster.

The report ends with a tidy recap: a $2.38 billion market today, a $6.41 billion market by 2029 and a lot of optimism that blockchain can fix the structural problems of social media. Whether the users who keep those platforms alive feel the same way remains the unresolved part of the story.