You’ll find that most are—and probably more so than corporate platforms since they’re user-driven and hosted. They aren’t beholden to shareholders and advertisers. The reality though is that the majority of users and instances won’t tolerate slurs and similar stereotypes, insults, etc. and the instances they federate with won’t either. Conspiracy theories? You’ll find plenty of spaces for that kind of stuff. The same goes for right and left-wing stances too.

Hexbear, for example was found to be far too extreme in its views for some instances and users, and those instances took it upon themselves to no longer federate with them. That’s the catch with being able to freely express views. They are not immune or free from criticism and being relegated to obscurity.

Communities like this are always fractured into echo chambers and safe spaces for people. That’s the benefit of them. It’s not like going outdoors where you’re subjected to everything and have no way to filter it. People aren’t seeking out a giant pool of collective noise; they are seeking out the specific music they want to hear.