Is social media a net benefit for society? Probably not in its current incarnations of algorithmic advertising.

I’ve been a proponent of Mastodon and related fediverse apps since Twitter banned third-party apps.

Why does this matter? Is social media just inherently trash? Shouldn’t you just spend your time away from your phone or computer?

The point of the internet, the point we’ve lost our way on is connection.

The early days of the internet were optimistic. We weren’t locked into a platform. Social media made sharing open to friends and family alike without being subscribed to a mailing list.

What if I told you could follow people regardless of what platform they chose, using an application of your choice? Just like email or podcasts¹. Not driven by advertising or the whims of venture capital? That’s the promise of the Fediverse. Open protocols² not in control by a large corporation.

The only thing it needs is you. The more people who join the Fediverse the better. Some large companies have pledged support the Fediverse such as Threads from Facebook³. But understanding what it is important, and giving it support, is what’s required. That requires you. We can take back a small part of the Internet with your help.

My Experience With Mastodon

Mastodon offers a timeline, non-algorithmic experience similar to early Twitter. Many tech/security focused people were already here, or moved here after the API to Twitter was closed.

So far, I’ve truly enjoyed the experience. I don’t see accounts from those I don’t follow and some have even found my account and replied in fun ways (such as talking about my love of the Game Boy Camera).

What Mastodon lacks is discoverability and the many celebrities, journalists, and sports accounts people like to follow outside their friends. But, since Threads has been turning on support for federation, it’s possible now to follow those accounts ad free, if they’ve opted in for federation on their accounts.

One of the big complaints is moderation control, so I imagine if you are famous and have a large following, the ability to quell or parse out junk is still a problem. Coupled with discoverability, the Fediverse is still young. But, these were difficulties back when I was user #683 on Twitter in 2006⁴. I’m just here to inform you that there is another world out there, of which you should at least be familiar with.

I understand not wanting to join another social network. But it’s unlike what social networks are today and within your full control to see what you want to see.

Lastly, if you’re still reading this and want to dip your toes, I run my OWN Mastodon server. That’s right, you can join my server and start using it right now for free if you’re interested. Just get in touch with me.

1. Have you ever noticed you can use whatever app you want for many of your favorite podcasts? Thank the open web for that! ↩
2. ActivityPub is what runs the Fediverse. It’s similar to open technologies like RSS. ↩
3. But it’s opt in. So if you have Threads please opt in and activate it. You open up the possibility of connections outside the Facebook ecosystem. ↩
4. Yeah, I’m still proud of that fact. ↩