With Elon Musk exerting control over Twitterchances are you have come across at least one post talking about an exodus of users to Mastodon. Certainly, it is not something new. Every time something happens that infuriates the users of the little bird’s social network, this platform begins to be considered as an alternative.
But, what is Mastodon? How does it work? How is it similar to Twitter and how is it different? These are some of the most frequently asked questions that arise around this service, and we will answer them below.
The first thing to note is that while several of Mastodon’s features are identical—or very similar, at least—to Twitter’s, its core differs noticeably. This is because we are talking about a decentralized social network, whose key component is the servers. But we will delve into it later.
First, a little history
Mastodon was born in 2016 from the work of the German developer Eugene Rochko, who to date continues to operate as founder, CEO and sole employee of the project. “A social network that is not for sale,” he says the front page of your website, in a sentence that represents both a show of pride in its open source nature, as well as a clear blow to Twitter. In fact, the creator of him recently explained that he started working on this idea because of his growing discontent with the little bird platform.
“I was thinking that being able to express myself online with my friends through short messages was very important to me, important to the world as well, and maybe it shouldn’t be in the hands of just one corporation. In general, it was related to a feeling mistrust in the total control exercised by Twitter,” he said in an interview with TIME.
From its humble beginnings, Mastodon has grown considerably, though still a niche alternative. It is that, although aesthetically it is very similar to Twitter, the differences are appreciated from the moment of creating an account. It can not be said that registering is difficult, but it does carry an extra complexity that perhaps not many are willing to accept.
As we said before, the key to Mastodon is its decentralized and server-based operation. Today, the platform has thousands of servers dedicated to different themes, languages and locations. And those who wish so can create their own. Each works independently, so cannot be censored or unsubscribed by a central figure. However, they are all committed to a behavior pact that establishes basic guidelines aimed at preventing the spread of racist, homophobic content, etc.
Choosing a server: the first thing you should do when you arrive at Mastodon
Unlike Twitter, signing up for Mastodon isn’t as easy as entering your email address and creating a password. In addition to that, you must choose which server you want to create your account on. As said in previous paragraphs, you have a large number of options to choose from. In fact, on this website you can filter them by location (Europe, North America, South America, etc.), or by themes or interests (technology, music, gaming, food, activism, LGTBQ+, among others).
Please note that some servers are general access, while others require you to apply and wait to be accepted through a manual selection process. Whatever the case, once you’re inside, you’ll see that Mastodon’s interface does have several points in common with Twitter.
Posts resemble tweets, although they are known as toots and allow you to send up to 500 characters. You can reply to them, like them, share them, or retweet them—retweet them, actually—as well as add hashtags with the hash (#), or enchant (@) to other users to mention them. You can also see the topics that are trending at the moment, such as those already known trending topics.
Also, just like on the platform now belonging to Elon Musk, you can see the profiles of other users, follow them, or have others follow you. In this sense, both your own posts and those of other people you follow will appear on the main page of your account.
more timelines
Returning to the servers, where you create your account is not an impediment to finding other users or being found. In simpler terms: you can follow or be followed by people whose accounts have been created or are hosted on servers different. But that is not all. As Mastodon’s operation is flexible, you can move your account to other existing servers, or to your own, without losing followers or affecting other features.
Another interesting point to comment on Mastodon is that has three timelines. One of them is the main timeline, similar to Twitter, which shows your posts to the accounts that follow you. But you can also choose to publish something locally; that is, so that only those registered on your same server can see it. Finally, it is possible to share it as a Federated Story, so that it is visible to a wider audience.
Options for advanced users
Creating your own Mastodon server may be the ideal option if you want to cut all the ties that bind you to Twitter or any other centralized social network. However, it is even more complex, and seems to be an alternative intended mostly for advanced users.
However, the platform has a very interesting documentation section which explains in detail how to do it. There you will also find posts that explain in depth how each of its features work, from creating an account, to developing a new client for mobile, desktop or the web.
Yes, Mastodon has its web version and its own apps for iOS and Android. However, since it is free software, anyone can “play” with the social network APIs and create your own client, either free or paid.
Mastodon and the exodus that never comes
Mastodon’s name resonates loudly every time the public threatens to leave twitter as a sign of their disappointment with certain measures. The arrival of Elon Musk to the bird network has not been an exception to the rule. And while it is true that many have decided to give this alternative a try, it is still niche.
This is not a criticism, but a reality supported by statistics: today Mastodon’s figures are marginal, compared to those of Twitter. The decentralized platform has around 4.5 million accounts createdbut only a fraction of them are actually in use.
In the last few hours, Eugen Rochko himself commented: “Today we have reached 1,028,362 monthly active users across the network. [Hemos sumado] 1,124 new Mastodon servers since October 27 and 489,003 new users. That’s great”.
They are impressive numbers, without a doubt, but that still keep it away from the heavyweights of the sector. Will Elon Musk’s arrival on Twitter be the final push for him to climb? Or just one more threat to an exodus that never materializes?