After Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter, some users have been looking to alternative platforms. With that the social network Mastodon is on the rise with many users who left twitter. But what is Mastodon and how does it work? Why is Mastodon an alternative to twitter in 2023?
The Mastodon Social App looks like Twitter, where account users write posts called “toots”, which can be replied to, liked and reposted, and can follow each other and uncensored.
In this article, we will discuss:
The importance of a decentralized social network – Mastodon Social App
Currently, what people can and cannot say online has been a topic of debate regarding the role of Big Techs, this has emerged as a critical flaw in American policy. Where the left calls for content moderation to contain misinformation, racism and misogyny. And on the other side, the right claims and demands the right to freedom of expression.
Therefore, a decentralized social network allows users more control. Unlike centralized social media platforms, federated networks promote independence without a central authority. Benefits include censorship resistance, ownership over personal data, and improved control over user-generated content. In other words, users do not accept censorship and insist on having the final word on their content. This means that no one else, whether a corporation or a site administrator, can make changes to user-created content. No one can also remove user generated content.
What is Mastodon Social App?
Mastodon is an open source decentralized social network. O mastodon.social has independent servers managed by users. Users are server-based, but can freely interact with others.
Mastodon has many similarities with Twitter. You can tag users, share media and follow other accounts. The two main differences between the two platforms are the standalone servers and Mastodon's chronological feed.
Anyone can create a server account on Mastodon, and it's up to the user to operate as they wish, without worrying about any kind of platform censorship.
Social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, which use an algorithm to determine what you see when you open them. The intent is to provide people with the most relevant information, but no algorithm is perfect. Conspiracy theories and disinformation can easily make it to the front page of a platform, and content creators often find that the algorithm limits how many of their followers see their content unless they pay a fee.
Unlike these platforms, Mastodon does not have a chronological feed. You'll see posts in the order they were shared and only from people you follow. There are no algorithms or ads to influence what you see, and it's up to you to operate however you want, without worrying about whether a tech billionaire thinks he'll have a chance to "fix" his platform.
What are servers in Mastodon?
Every time a user creates an account on Mastodon, he basically creates a server. There are many of them, they are themed by country, city or interest like, social, technology, games and so on.
It doesn't really matter which one you're on, because you'll be able to follow users on everyone else anyway, but it does give you a home community that's more likely to post things you're interested in too.
Mastodon how does it work?
Mastodon works as a decentralized social network that is managed and moderated by its community. Instead of external funding, Mastodon raises funds through crowdfunding. Crowdfunding is the use of small amounts of capital from a large number of individuals to fund a new venture.
Crowdfunding makes use of the easy accessibility of vast networks of people through social media and crowdfunding websites to bring investors and entrepreneurs together, with the potential to increase entrepreneurship, expanding the pool of investors beyond the traditional circle of owners, relatives and venture capitalists.
Servers where accounts are created and run individually, but not separate from the entire network. Users can follow and interact with users on any server. The only way you can't see the contents of a server (Account) is if it's set to private. It's as if each subreddit account isn't controlled by the Reddit platform itself.
How does moderation work in Mastodon?
When someone creates a Server or Account, they set the rules for the content. Mastodon provides the tools for this, but it is the users who are responsible for maintaining an orderly conduct on their servers. You won't have to worry about harmful content being suggested and you'll only see the content of those you follow on your homepage, keeping everything in line with your interests.
How to use the Mastodon platform?
Mastodon's usability is a little different from Twitter. First you will have to join a server or create an account. There are many generic place or topic to start creating your account. Find a topic that suits what you want to publish such as cryptocurrencies, climate change, politics, business and join them.
The server will inform you of all its rules before you sign in. Don't worry too much about it as you can still chat and follow people from other servers. But on this account/server, you can also easily go out and meet people from different backgrounds.
Creating a post on Mastodon is very similar to Twitter. You have a 500 character limit for text posts and can attach media, polls and a content notice if needed. You can share them with the community or just your followers.
How to download Mastodon App from social media?
The Download application is available on IOS and Android platforms. It can be downloaded from the links:
- Mastodon Mastodon Social App – apple link
- Mastodon Mastodon Social App – AndroidLink
Conclusion: Mastodon Social App
Mastodon might seem complicated to those who are used to Twitter, but you don't need to understand a lot of the technical details to use it. If you want to use the social network as an alternative to Twitter, you'll feel right at home with Mastodon's simple layout.
