Mastodon, the new Twitter?
Twitter users have been searching for an Elon Musk-free platform as the Chaos erupting on Twitter continues. Mastodon, an open-source alternative to the micro-blogging platform, might just be the answer.
Since October 27, when the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla announced his takeover, Mastodon has gained nearly 500,000 new users. This has got us wondering, what do these people know, and should we be joining them?
Although Mastodon might look like your average Twitter clone, the microblogging site is, in fact, a lot more complex. The site was founded by software developer Eugen Rochko, who wanted to create a non-profit social platform that benefits the public rather than the shareholders. Rochko has described it as a “federated network which operates in a similar way to email’.
Mastodon users generally refer to individual communities as ‘servers’. These servers can be run by individuals, groups or organisations that each have their own set of rules regarding how users can sign up. To create an account, you choose a server that generates your profile address. The servers on the provided list have all signed up to the “Mastodon covenant”, which promises “active moderation against racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia”. So far, so good.
Servers can communicate with other servers; however, some may be prevented from contacting others, perhaps to avoid the levels of conflict regularly seen on Twitter. This could solve the ‘free speech’ issue Kanye West has lit a fire under recently by purchasing Parler, the right-wing freedom of speech platform. It’s the social media version of ‘blocking out the haters’.
This has left us wondering if the next big social trend could be a focus on communities instead of personas. Could we be looking at a slow move away from the current wave of ‘influencer’ marketing that has us in a chokehold? And will this shift into an exchange of influence between all members in these ‘communities’? Who knows, but let’s not panic the Kardashians just yet.
