Nine things I learned about Mastodon – what is it, why should I try it, and how do I begin?

As I write these words, the amount of people on my Mastodon instance reaches the magic number: 100K. Our admin closes the sign-ups, and switches the instance to invite-only, then upgrades the servers – again. “Houston, we’re holding up pretty well so far,” he quips. Elsewhere, in a less happy corner of the internet, Twitter fires a huge chunk of its team and loses a big portion of its advertisers and users.

Those two facts are closely related. Mastodon is having its fifteen minutes of internet fame – just as, and precisely because, the dude in charge of Twitter is throwing a wobble. Things are happening fast, and Mastodon is often mentioned among the suitable Twitter alternatives.

But what is Mastodon, exactly? Is it good enough to ditch Twitter for it? And how would you find out for yourself?

As a Twit-turned-Masto user, I thought I’d give you nine answers. Some of them are more tongue-in-cheek than others. Many of them are super personal. Your mileage will vary, I’m not an expert, etc. Ultimately – working it out for yourself will cost you nothing.

Here we go, then: three answers for each question.

What is Mastodon? Answer 1

What is Mastodon? Answer 2

What is Mastodon? Answer 3

Fedi.tips is perfect for getting a good overview of Masto, and will help you get oriented along the way.

But why is Mastodon worth considering?

Why join Mastodon? Answer 1

I’m going to start by expanding on the cartoon above. You should join Mastodon, I think, because it’s not Twitter.

It’s not a platform – it’s a way of building one. Other ways exist, and Masto will talk to them.

It’s not a monolith – it’s a collection of worlds (instances), each with their own vibe and rules. This means that another Masto experience is always available – and it’s easy to filter out the parts which you’re not keen on, by blocking entire instances, if you so wish.

It’s not dependent on advertisers, corporate sponsorship, or state approval.

It’s not ruled or owned by a single white erratic dude.

I could go on, but you get the gist.

Why join Mastodon? Answer 2

Based on the above, I can give you a more positive answer.

You should join Mastodon to make it whatever you want it to be.

You can choose to join a bigger crowd, on one of the more popular “general” instances. Or you could seek out a more focused instance: for artists, or speakers of language X, or for photographers, or makers, or scientists, or for a Band Y fandom… and so on. It’s your choice.

You can sign up for an already existing instance, or you can start your own. Hosting an instance is as easy as starting your own website these days. Virtual hosting is available, and I’ve also seen people running their own corner of social media from a Raspberry Pi on their desks!

And when it comes to connections – the choice is yours, too. You can keep to the folks within your instance, or cast your net wide and connect to other tribes. You can stay faithful to the Twitter-like experience of Mastodon, or follow other kinds of content which speak the same language – within the Fediverse, there are already alternatives for YouTube, Instagram, Goodreads, Twitch, and many more.

This kind of flexibility leads me to my third answer.

Why join Mastodon? Answer 3

Mark Zuckerberg gave you Facebook. Now he’s busy sinking billions of dollars into a version of Metaverse which nobody wants.

Jeff Bezos gave you Amazon. Now he’s busily trying to monetize all the data he gets from your smart speakers, doorbell cameras, tablets, and purchase histories.

Elon Musk bought your Twitter. Now he’s busy turning it into one bitter rich man’s idea of what democracy should be like.

Is Mastodon going to end all this? Will it bring about the shiny bright new internet we all wish for? Hell, no. But it’s an alternative you can still access.

You lose the neurons you fail to fire. You lose the muscles you no longer train. And, on the internet, we lose the solutions that no longer serve us.

Right now, I think that joining and using Mastodon is the most people-friendly, pain-free way to keep the web open, keep yourself sane online, and to keep learning new things about how internet evolves. You can still keep your existing networks; in fact, with a tiny bit of research, you can make your Masto and your Twitter talk to each other.

Where do I start? Answer 1

The simplest thing you can do is this: look through public views of some Mastodon instances.

You don’t need an account to do this. Here, I’ve prepared a quick list for you. Just follow the links and start scrolling.

https://mstdn.social/public – my home on the Fedi, a big general purpose instance

https://metalhead.club/public – an example of a specialized instance – heavy metal fans (but also lots of cats)

https://toot.wales/public – an example of a local instance – Wales on Mastodon!

Where do I start? Answer 2

Join an instance and set up an account.

Here’s a page which helps you look up some servers to join (you can usually use the server.name/public to explore what they’re about).

If a server is invite-only, pick one which lets you join sooner. Some servers have grown in popularity, and the invite could be a tricky thing to get.

Once you’re in, set up and edit your new account, the way you would with any Twitter/Instagram account. Here’s mine for reference.

Hashtags work – if you use them in your #introductions post, people will be more likely to seek you out.

And speaking of this – go and follow some people! Search for the keywords or hashtags which look interesting, and start growing your network. Quick reminder – you can follow people on other instances, too.

Where do I start? Answer 3

This one’s for the more ambitious types among you. Who said you had to stick to the available instances? Nobody, that’s who. So make like a DIY cyber-punk and start your own Mastodon server. (If you don’t plan to do this, skip this step, or save it for later)

Hosting is available from several good companies, and to start with, it will cost you about as much as hosting for your website. Alternatively, you can use any of the capable hardware you have at home; photos of Masto instances busily spinning away on Raspberry Pis have made me super happy in recent days.

You don’t have to go big, either. You can host a closed server, just to get the feel of it. You can limit your signups to keep the costs low. Or you can go for a one-person solution: flying solo, on an instance of your own, you will still be able to connect with people on all the available servers out there.

You won’t upset anyone if you start up your own Mastodon server. And if you keep it to yourself, you don’t have to look for anyone’s permission before you close it down, either. The Fediverse will carry on, regardless.

Bonus round: Should I stay or should I go?

The big bonus question, then: is this the right time to abandon the Twitter ship?

I don’t have an easy answer to this. My links with Twitter are now very weak, and my network on Mastodon has grown strong. If the dumpster fire situation was reversed – If Mastodon was becoming toxic, and Twitter turning wholesome – then I’d be conflicted.

If your tribe is strong, good, and valuable to you on Twitter, then cutting these ties might be the opposite of what you need. Building new relationships online takes time, and perhaps the best thing you can do to make Twitter bearable again is to stay and keep working on what you’ve been working.

But if, like me, you’ve been on the fence about trying to make Twitter work for you again – starting from scratch, and hoping to find good connections – then I’d politely insist on at least keeping your Masto and your Twitter efforts alive in parallel.

Whatever you decide to do – thanks for reading, and good luck!