The Fediverse – Mastodon for Twitter refugees?

Fediverse platform tree
The various platforms of the Fediverse, as well as other federated networks visualized as trees with their connections (or lack thereof) outlined.
CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wiki (4 November 2022)

The saga of Twitter disruption continues this week. Twitter troubles. Whether you’re staying on the platform or considering moving to another service, this article is an excellent overview of distinctions and options.

If you’re active in digital social groups, does everyone pack up (all their shared messages and media) and move to Mastodon? Twitter refugees.

• PCWorld > “How Mastodon and federated services put social networks in the people’s hands” by Adam Taylor (Nov 30, 2022)

… Mastodon is missing all the profit-centric bloat of modern social media platforms. There’s no algorithm recommending you content or people to follow. Unlike Twitter or Facebook, where the goal is to keep you glued to the screen as much as possible and never leaving their website, Mastodon is just there to provide a social networking place for you to have conversations. … the point with Mastodon is to make friends, not follow brands.

Jargon
  • Platform vs. service
  • Federated vs. decentralized social networking service
  • Peer-to-peer vs. community-run network
  • Community instances
  • Feeds
  • Hashtags, handles, profiles
  • Conversations, chats (and privacy)
  • Timelines
  • Posts – boosting, fav’ing
  • Lists – pinning
The Fediverse landscape

• Mastodon

Mastodon itself is very much a Twitter-like service. It’s a microblogging tool in which you send mostly short-form text posts, a few images or very small (40MB is the current limit) videos, build threads, follow and reply to other people, and “boost” (the equivalent of sharing or Retweeting) posts. There’s also messaging, though it’s not yet as fully developed as many might hope. You’d be forgiven for taking one glance at it and thinking “wow, that’s generic Twitter.” In a way, that’s the point.

Also mentioned (among others) in this article:

• PixelFed (“an Instagram clone”) – There are also no ads, no data selling, and no algorithms.

• PeerTube (videos)

• Owncast (host your own live streaming service, a Fediverse software platform)

• WriteFreely (a Fediverse software platform)

The cost of free on freedom

(quote) We can all benefit from a paradigm shift back away from users being the product, and towards gaining control over our online experiences. The internet used to be a fun place full of clubhouses run by people with varying interests, …

3 comments

  1. Social media landscape

    Whether staying or leaving the service, here’s some advice on your Twitter data.

    • Washington Post > “From quitting to blocking: How to protect yourself on Musk’s Twitter” By Heather Kelly (December 1, 2022) – Here’s everything you can do now to secure your personal information

    WHAT TO KNOW

    Why take action now?
    Back up your tweets
    Delete your tweets
    Delete your account
    Stop using Twitter DMs (direct messages)
    Lock down your Twitter privacy and anti-harassment settings
    Be extra vigilant about misinformation

  2. Global social media

    Is commnications app Discord a suitable alternative social media platform to Twitter?

    • Washington Post > “What is Discord, the voice and text chat app popular with gamers?” by Shannon Liao (November 30, 2022)

    (quote) Discord doesn’t have anything resembling a main feed … Still, like Twitter, Discord can be used to spread news, send announcements to communities and discuss links. It can be a quick way to get in touch with a lot of people at once, or to reliably communicate with a single person via direct message.

    WHAT TO KNOW

    How and where can I join Discord?
    How does Discord work?
    Does Discord cost money?
    Is Discord a suitable Twitter replacement?
    Is Discord safe to use?
    What safety features does Discord offer?

  3. Here’s a useful guide if getting started with Mastodon.

    • Washinton Post > “A guide to getting started with Twitter alternative Mastodon” by Heather Kelly (December 17, 2022) – Social media site Mastodon is a popular Twitter alternative with a learning curve.

    (quote) While a number of new and existing companies are jostling to become the next Twitter, open-source option Mastodon has seen a large influx of people. The site can be tricky for new people to understand, and might not be what fills the Twitter void in the long run. But at least for now, it has many of the same posters and experts sharing their toots (we’ll get to that).

    WHAT TO KNOW

    What is Mastodon?
    How do you choose which server to join?
    How do you start using Mastodon
    How do you find friends?
    Is that it?

    One way Mastodon differs from Twitter is that it lets you follow a hashtag. For instance, if you like birds, you can search for the #birds hashtag and click the follow button to fill your feed with often shockingly pretty pictures of wild birds.

    There are more settings and options available through the web version, and if you’re advanced you can dig into hosting your own server. But if you’re only interested in making sure you don’t miss updates from people leaving Twitter, this should be enough to get you started.

    Mastodon cartoon

Comments are closed.