What Is Mastodon Used For?

Mastodon is an open source software that has led to a series of alternative social media sites. The social networking sites are hosted on decentralised servers, which means it is not owned by one person or company. The free and open source software was founded in 2016 with stable release in November 2022.

While it sort of looks like Twitter, Mastodon is decentralized, which means that, using open source software, anyone can start their own server, called an instance. Users can interact with other instances in an interconnected community called the Fediverse.

Mastodon is very similar to Twitter in that they’re both microblogging platforms. You can publish short posts, and they go into a central feed where you can read other people’s posts. You can also “star” (like), “boost” (retweet), and share posts, and follow other people.

The pros. Nothing above should be construed as meaning Mastodon isn’t safe to use. While its decentralized structure poses security challenges, the risks facing its users are the same facing people using Twitter or any other social media site or even most open source software.

You can use Twitter’s search feature to find them. Head to Twitter.com and type the word “Mastodon” into the search bar. Now click the three dots to the right of the search bar and click “Search filters.” From here you can narrow the search to include only people you currently follow.

Mastodon is my favorite federated network. There is a lot to love there if you take your time to find cool instances and people to follow. There are whole instances devoted to art, creative work, and much more. There are many tools to help with self-moderation and community caring built into the system.

Amid Twitter layoffs and uncertainty about toxic content, privacy and security, some users are concerned and looking for alternatives.

Nobody owns it, so there’s nobody to pay or anything of that nature. You’re not going to be charged $8 for using Mastodon. And if you were, you could move to another Mastodon server and ignore that.

Mastodon’s ever-changing formula remains electric and refreshing; now as always, they offer something different, and have injected new life into a genre that’s often resistant to change—much like Metallica and others did over a decade prior. Mastodon as a band has grown into a metallic powerhouse.

Sign in to your Mastodon account and click the edit profile link under your Mastodon handle. In the Edit Profile screen that appears, scroll down to the Verification section. This section contains a special verification code. Click the Copy button to copy your verification code to your clipboard.

If you like Twitter but hate what’s happening to its current incarnation, Mastodon is the most Twitter-like alternative out there. Onboarding is bumpy and the service sometimes feels clunky, but it has great features that Twitter users have been crying out for, no ads, and a friendly vibe.

Can you talk to people on other Mastodon servers besides your own? Yes, you can follow people outside of your local server and reply to their posts.

Featured Photo by Battenhall on Unsplash