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Social media platform Mastodon has reportedly been gaining traction ever since Elon Musk took over Twitter. According to Tech Crunch, the platform saw 70,000 sign-ups and a record number of app downloads a day after Musk’s Twitter takeover.
Earlier this week, the network shared that nearly 230,000 people joined the platform last week, and many returned to their old accounts. The platform currently has 655,000 active users, the highest since its inception in 2016.
While Mastodon was originally founded and created by Eugen Rochko, it is a decentralized platform, meaning it cannot be controlled by a single corporation or entity. Rochko serves as the current CEO of the platform.
Everything to know about Mastodon
Mastodon is an open-source and free software founded by German software developer Eugen Rochko in 2016. The app was officially launched in 2017 and came to prominence as a probable replacement for Twitter.
The name and mascot of the platform is based on an extinct trunked animal that resembles a mastodon or mammoth. The network has similar microblogging capabilities to Twitter but comes with unique features of its own.
To join the platform, users can download the application via the App Store or Google Play or join a server on their browser. Similar to Twitter, the social networking site also contains a timeline with “toots” instead of “tweets.” These toots can be boosted (as an alternative to retweets) and can also be bookmarked by users.
However, the platform does not operate as a single website like Twitter. It functions with a network of thousands of websites called “instances.” These websites are also known as “federated servers,” which are run by different entities.
These entities can also communicate with each other without the presence of a central system. The space where all these entities exist is known as the “fediverse” and is often referred to as “the Fedi.”
Following the initial sign-up process, users are asked to select a server of their choice based on their preferences. In addition to general-purpose servers, there are servers for different categories of interest like music, gaming, art, activism, technology, and jokes, among others.
The choice of the user’s server becomes a part of their username (like abc@/kpop.social) and allows them to see toots (or posts) from their server-mates on their feeds. However, users are also allowed to see toots from people from other servers and can even boost their toots on their personal feed.
Founder Eugen Rochko told The Guardian that Mastodon can create a unified global experience despite being controlled by multiple entities:
“The servers are service providers, like Hotmail and Gmail are for email. It doesn’t mean that the different servers are isolated from each other, like old school forums. Having just one account allows you to follow and interact with anyone in this global decentralized social network.”
However, he also mentioned that users should do their own analysis before joining any particular server:
“Is it an organization that has a track record, is trustworthy, is likely to be around for a long time, but also has a moderation policy?”
He added:
“The ‘good ones,’ have rules against hate speech, and provide basic necessities like backups, so if one of the admins gets hit by a bus, the server does not disappear."
Rochko also mentioned that the platform has a list of vetted servers on its homepage, including instances that are queer-themed or focus on climate justice. The Mastodon Server Covenant promotes:
“active moderation against racism, s*xism, homophobia and transphobia.”
While many users are of the opinion that the platform is left-leaning, Rochko said that he only abided by his “basic beliefs” about social networks like “hate speech should not be allowed” during the creation of the network.
Netizens react to Mastodon traction amid Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover
As Elon Musk completed his takeover of Twitter following several months of speculation, the six-year-old decentralized social networking platform Mastodon showed sudden traction.
Reports suggest that several people have started looking for new online spaces for their daily musings amid Twitter’s new monetization plans, employee layoffs, and the possibility of new changes.
Amid the ongoing #twittermigration trend, several social media users took to the platform to share their thoughts on the decentralized app.
As conflicting reactions continue to pour in online, it remains to be seen if Elon Musk will address the growing traction of Mastodon amid his Twitter takeover in the days to come.
