In 2017 I signed up mastodon.cloud, an early “instance” (aka server) for Mastodon. The concept seemed convoluted: a decentralized social network (whatever that means), even if at the time it was just another thing to join. So, like many tech geeks, I parked a username in case Mastodon ever took off, which seemed pretty unlikely.
Fast forward to 2022 and I don’t need to reshuffle the drama of Chirping after Elon Musk took over. I don’t really like the fake controversies and the daily indignation. I mostly laughed at the folly of seemingly random and contradictory new policies like banning other social network sharing, only to be rescinded less than 24 hours later (but not before banning some users, of course). There’s also the seemingly retaliatory suspension of journalists for settling small personal accounts or whatever Twitter Blue is these days.
And when Twitter became hilariously mismanaged, it became less valuable and less fun, at least for me. Many of the personal accounts I’ve followed have started posting less (or not at all). My timeline has become automated brand posts – an endless RSS feed of news. Those who were tweeting were talking about Elon Musk, a topic I’m so exhausted on, like so many others. And the few times I tweeted, the interactions and sharing reflected what felt like a mass rejection of whatever Twitter was turning into with less interaction.
I’ve always noticed that you need two significant events for a paradigm shift. First, the existing paradigm, in this case Twitter, must suffer a crisis. Number two, you need a viable alternative that does something better compared to the previous system. This change has happened with Myspace vs. Facebook, Netscape vs. Internet Explorer, FTP/Gopher/Newsgroups vs. WWW, IRC vs. SMS/Message apps, etc.
Chirping and in crisis. Musk knows it too, recently remarked that Twitter is like “a plane heading towards the ground at high speed, with engines on fire and controls not working.” Advertisers feel the same way, with The Wall Street Journal noting that more than 70% of Twitter’s top 100 advertiser investors they weren’t spending on the platform due to lack of trust and management concerns.
With 89% of Twitter’s revenue coming from ads, this is a major problem.
Is Mastodon for everyone? Will it be the square of the world? No, and no, and I don’t care.
And while many of Musk’s hardcore fans are bemoaning the “old blue legacy” on the platform, most people take to Twitter to hear what those verified “celebs” are saying. That was the beauty of Twitter: You could tweet at your favorite celebrity or crush a politician. Unfortunately, without the “elites,” Twitter loses its appeal, which it seems to be.
And it is here that Mastodon, 5 years later, returns to the scene. It wasn’t long before many people who left Twitter migrated to Mastodon. Was this a temporary hissing attack of the internet or a genuine movement?
Mastodon: Far from perfect, but also fun
Mastodon isn’t a direct replacement for Twitter, but it could offer something better: a throwback to the golden days of the internet when nobody owned the thing.
But Mastodon also has some serious onboarding issues. The system is confusing, like which server you should subscribe to, how there’s no ability to retweet, and discovering new topics, especially people, is a challenge (which is why I created a list of technicians and sites to follow).
Android apps and PWAs are great, but even logging in can be confusing for the first time.
Is it elitist? Yes, and that’s what I like about it.
There is also concern that Mastodon will become another echo chamber. This is somewhat true. Right now, they’re journalists, scientists, some artists, creators, and your cutting-edge tech nerds. Trying to get your regular friends on Mastodon is like teaching grandpa how to use a smartphone – it won’t be easy!
And that’s what I like.
Is it elitist? Yes, to some extent. But I remember back in 1994 I used the “information superhighway” as some called it FTP to servers, used newsgroups to discuss topics, chat on IRC, use email to talk to people remotely or Gopher to find things . We formed small and tight groups, even if you were in the “mainstream” America Online (or Prodigy before it).
These small networks drove the Internet until the World Wide Web and browsers emerged. And those message boards and blogs born, which have turned into publications and comments.
All of which was elitist in the 90s.
Most people didn’t own a PC or even one with a modem. So getting on the internet was not trivial (AOL helped). And explaining the internet to people was problematic because there were so many new terms and metaphors. If you were on the net in 1995, you belonged to a particular club of experts.
Mastodon, and the largest Fedeverse, is the first real alternative to the standard Internet in the last 20 years that I have come across. Being decentralized, no one controls or owns it, as anyone can create an instance of Mastodon.
Mastodon looks like the internet in the 90s and I love it.
No monolithic algorithms or corporations are mining your data. There are no ads. There’s no lonely weirdo in charge who wantonly changes the rules or runs dumb polls to set policy.
Right now, Mastodon is just people talking and not fighting. They’re not squashing each other for internet fame. There are no daily villains or endless mock outrage over the most trivial things. Bots, at least of the wrong kind, aren’t a problem. No one is creating fake accounts or trying to impersonate someone else.
Yes, it’s like the internet in the 90s and I love it.
Is it for everyone? Will it be the square of the world? No, and no, and I don’t care.
I’m not sure if it will last or if Mastodon will turn into Twitter 3.0 with all the baggage that comes with popular, centralized and corporate social networks. However, the structure of the networks suggests that it won’t.
Regardless, I’m enjoying the change of scenery and more significantly, the potential for all of us to create something new and better. I hope it grows, and I’m fine with Musk’s Twitter crashing and burning. Good riddance! Something better can come from those ashes – creative destruction (“creative destruction”). This is how the market works.
I say, embrace the chaos and join in the fun, even if it doesn’t last.
Looking to get started on Mastodon? Here you are a list of technicians and sites to follow to start your feed.