By default the open source/decentralized social media movement was galvanized by idealistic and political groups who were unsatisfied with corporate social media — mainly being the libertarian-flavored, pro-free speech free software types that flourished in the early software industry, the right wing activists that proliferated in the mid 00s/early 2010s, and left-wing factions of many types fighting capitalism.

Lemmy in particular was started by developers in the communist space, and has since attracted other segments of the left and center to seed its culture.

Many segments of popular communities here are liberal or even centrist now, but the background, core user base of Lemmy retains at least a socially progressive, anti-or-critical-capitalist lens, if not further left.