Although user numbers have decreased, tech-savvy enthusiasts remain devoted to the decentralized social network.
Following Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter around six months ago, which saw the return of white supremacists and the expulsion of journalists who had criticized him, many users, including myself, deemed it appropriate to leave the platform. Instead, we joined Mastodon, an innovative social media initiative established in 2016 to resist the acquisition attempts by billionaires. Mastodon is decentralized, meaning that it is not a singular website, but a network comprising numerous independently managed servers. These servers have their own moderators and users who interact with each other’s “toots,” or posts, utilizing an open protocol known as ActivityPub. Other social media platforms can also connect to ActivityPub, ensuring that the broader network, known as the “fediverse,” is not monopolized by a single app.
Nathan Schneider, a professor at the University of Colorado Boulder who specializes in collective ownership models and operates a Mastodon server called social.coop, stated, “It has certainly slowed down. I believe many individuals arrived and found it to be slightly difficult. Utilizing Mastodon may appear to be like eating vegetables.”
Does size really matter?
Mastodon’s most devoted users, who usually possess a higher level of technological expertise, believe that it’s not an issue if the community remains small. The platform isn’t intended to achieve rapid viral growth. There is no global search or hashtags. Servers can be made private effortlessly, and administrators can ban trolls by blocking other servers. There’s also an option to conceal posts behind content warnings, which users are encouraged to utilize for sensitive issues.
The social media equivalent of a homeowners’ association.
While Mastodon may be similar to a small village rather than a global platform, it doesn’t imply that it is consistently inclusive. Jonathan Flowers, an assistant professor of philosophy at California State University Northridge, established a Mastodon account after Musk bought Twitter in November of last year. However, when he made certain comments about the racial politics of the platform, users asked Flowers, who is Black, to conceal those posts behind content warnings.
Mastodon versus the dominant market players.
Up until recently, Rochko was the sole full-time employee responsible for maintaining Mastodon’s software. The non-profit is predominantly supported by contributions made via Patreon, which amount to approximately $32,000 per month. However, when compared to the trillions of dollars invested by tech behemoths, this amount is a mere fraction.
Despite receiving investment proposals worth “hundreds of thousands of dollars” from Silicon Valley, Rochko has rejected them, claiming that they would undermine his initiative. He stated that “Mastodon will not transform into everything you loathe about Twitter,” and highlighted the distinction in paradigms between the platforms. Mastodon is decentralized and not vulnerable to being sold to a controversial billionaire, being shut down, or going bankrupt.