Mastodon: What it is, how it works, and why it's the Twitter alternative you should try.

Mastodon Mastodon is a microblogging social network and one of the most robust and popular alternatives to Twitter (now known as X). This platform stands out for its decentralized structure, open source code, and focus on privacy and non-censorship, factors that have made it a haven for users seeking a more controlled, friendly, and ad-free environment. Below, we present the most complete and up-to-date guide to delve into the world of Mastodon, discover how it works, its unique advantages, how to register, its differences with other networks, its impact on digital marketing, and all its possibilities.

What is Mastodon and why is it the trendy alternative to Twitter?

Mastodon It is a social network that allows you to share short messages, known as tootsi —similar to Twitter tweets—of up to 500 characters, accompanied by images, videos, polls and links. However, its biggest difference from other platforms lies in its decentralized structure. On Mastodon there is no single company that controls the entire network: it is made up of thousands of instances or independent servers (which may have different themes, communities or rules), interconnected with each other through the ActivityPub protocol, which allows users to interact regardless of which server they are on.

This decentralization has numerous advantages: it avoids centralized control of data and censorship by a single entity, allows each community to establish its own rules and moderation policies, and gives rise to enormous thematic and cultural diversity. Furthermore, Mastodon It is open source, so anyone can collaborate on its development, create their own instance and adapt it to their interests or needs.

Mastodon's rise has been driven by user concern over corporate shifts on other social platforms, especially following Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter, which led to a mass migration of users and communities seeking greater freedom of expression, security, and control over their data. Mastodon is betting on an experience free from ads and invasive algorithms, which allows you to view posts chronologically and without manipulation to promote or censor certain content.

History and evolution of Mastodon

Mastodon was created by developer Eugen Rochko, a staunch advocate of free software. The goal from the outset was to design a social network that would counteract the centralization and corporate control present in traditional platforms like Twitter. Mastodon started with its main instance, mastodon.social, and was quickly adopted by developers and communities that value autonomy, transparency, and digital ethics.

Since its inception, Mastodon has remained faithful to the philosophy of federated networks and the Fediverse, an ecosystem of interoperable social platforms (such as Friendica, PeerTube, PixelFed, among others) that can communicate with each other thanks to the ActivityPub protocol. This means that Mastodon users can interact not only with each other but also with members of other federated networks, greatly expanding their connection and content access possibilities.

Over time, Mastodon has experienced staggered growth, reaching millions of active users globally and a wide variety of thematic, local, professional, and niche instances. Its flexible and robust architecture has allowed for the proliferation of servers managed by organizations, universities, technology communities, media outlets, activist groups, and individuals.

How does Mastodon work? Understanding decentralization and the Fediverse

The key element of Mastodon is the decentralization. Each user registers on a specific server or instance and receives a unique address based on the server name. For example, a user named John might have the address @juan@mastodon.social if you register on mastodon.social, but the same person could create another account on another server, such as @juan@tecnologia.clubThis allows the same username to exist on different instances, but each account is independent and its "digital address" depends on the server where it was created.

Mastodon instances can focus on a specific interest (technology, art, science, sports, etc.), a specific location, language, or community, or be general and open to all types of topics. Each server has its own rules for coexistence and moderation, although there are a series of minimum common rules (prohibition of racist, sexist, or xenophobic messages, child pornography, etc.) to ensure a safe and respectful environment.

Federation is what sets Mastodon apart: users from different instances can communicate with each other, follow each other, send messages and view posts, as if everyone were part of a large social network, but without the vulnerability of depending on a single central entity. Furthermore, each community's data and management are in the hands of its own administrators, which protects diversity and prevents absolute control over content or users.

How to sign up for Mastodon: Choosing an instance and creating your account

One of the biggest differences between Mastodon and Twitter lies in the registration process. To create your Mastodon account, you must first choose a instance or serverYou can check the official list of servers at joinmastodon.org/servers, where you can filter by topic, location, or language. Some criteria you can consider when choosing an instance:

• Primary language and country or region where it is located
• Theme or community (technology, art, science, activism, etc.)
• Community size (number of active users)
• Rules of moderation and coexistence
• Whether it is open to free registration or requires an access request

Once you've selected an instance, the registration process is simple: enter a username, email address, and password, and accept the server's terms and conditions. You'll typically need to confirm your email address via a link you'll receive via email. It's important to read the instance's rules before accepting, as each community may have specific rules or policies. Remember, you can register for multiple instances if you want to belong to different communities, and you can even migrate your data and followers from one to another through Mastodon's portability feature.

Getting Started on Mastodon: Interface, Timelines, and Toots

Mastodon's interface is intuitive and modern, similar to other social networks, but incorporates unique elements derived from its federation. Upon logging in, you'll see various columns—especially on the web version—that display:

• La start timeline with posts from the accounts you follow (no algorithms, chronological order)
• La local timeline with posts from members of your instance
• La federated timeline, a large wall with posts from users of other instances connected to your server
• Notifications, messages and trends sections
• Hashtag, user, and topic search engine

On Mastodon, public messages are called tootsi. They have a 500-character limit (more than Twitter's 280 characters), and can include images, videos, polls, links, hashtags, and custom emoji (both universal and unique to your instance). When writing a Toot, you can select the privacy setting: public, unlisted, followers only, or direct (a private message only to mentioned users).

Actions on Toots include replying, retweeting, favorite, bookmarking, or sharing externally. You can also hide sensitive content with the Toots feature. CW (Content Warning), useful for spoilers or sensitive topics, and unlimited editing of your posts after posting.

Differences between Mastodon and Twitter/X: Comparison table and keys

Some important additional differences:

• Mastodon's timelines they do not use algorithms to manipulate the visibility of the contents: everything appears in chronological order.
• On Mastodon There are no ads or suggested profiles for commercial interests.
• The experience is quieter and more respectful, in part due to community management and the rules defined by each entity.
• Account migration between instances is possible (taking your followers and following with you), which gives you flexibility if you change interests or community.
• Usernames include the server name (@user@server), similar to an email address.
• There is no automatic global trending topics feature, although you can follow hashtags and trends on your instance.

How to find and follow users, hashtags, and communities on Mastodon

Finding and following users on Mastodon requires understanding how federated addresses work. You can search for people by their nickname or their full address. @user@instance from your instance's search engine. If the account is on another server, you'll use the full address to access their profile and follow them (example: @ana@mastodon.art).

If you're coming from Twitter and want to find your old contacts, you can use tools like debirdify, which scans your followers and following to detect if they have a Mastodon account and on which instances, making it easier to migrate your network.

Hashtags play a crucial role on Mastodon. You can search and even follow hashtags, so that any new posts tagged with them automatically appear on your timeline. This helps create thematic communities and share relevant information.

Privacy, Security, and Moderation on Mastodon

Mastodon's decentralized architecture means that Each instance manages its own privacy and moderation policyThis means that administrators can set strict rules about permitted content and behavior, block other disruptive instances or users, and make quick decisions to protect the community.

Some notable practices:

• Your personal data and posts reside only on the server you registered with, not on a central cloud owned by a corporation.
• Most servers are non-profit and funded by donations, which minimizes data collection for advertising purposes.
• You can adjust the visibility of each post and make your account private or public, as well as block or mute users and entire instances.
• Abuse reports are handled by the team at each agency, which often speeds up the response and makes it more transparent.
• There is no invasive advertising or mass data collection to create commercial profiles.

It's worth remembering that, as a federated community, some instances may or may not federate with others at their discretion, and moderation levels may vary between communities. Therefore, it's essential to choose an instance that aligns with your philosophy and has rules you're comfortable with.

Profile customization and advanced options

Once you create your account, you can access the full customization section of your profile. Options include:

• Display username (may be different from the username with @)
• Biography extensive where you can share relevant information about yourself and your interests
• Avatar and header: images to personalize your profile visually
• Verified external links: You can add up to four links to websites (e.g., your blog, LinkedIn, etc.), and Mastodon allows you to verify ownership by adding a code to your website.
• Privacy options: Decide whether your account is public or protected, whether you want to appear in recommendations, hide your followers, etc.
• Unlimited Edition of your posts and descriptions

Timelines, post types, and key features

• Home: posts from your followers, in chronological order.
• Location: public messages from all members of your instance.
• Federated: public posts from all instances connected to yours.

The tootsi They can have different levels of privacy:

• Public: visible to any user of the Fediverse.
• Unlisted: Only visible on your profile, does not appear on public timelines.
• Followers only: Visible only to your followers.
• Direct: Only for mentioned users, similar to a private message.

Additionally, you can add media, polls, hashtags, mentions, and custom emoji (even themed ones depending on the instance). Post editing is allowed without limits.

Social interaction: mentions, hashtags, favorites, retweets, and conversation management

Interaction on Mastodon is direct and without algorithms that interfere with visibility:

• To respond: reply directly to a toot, creating conversation threads.
• Retweet: share posts on your profile, visible to your followers.
• Favorites: indicates that you like or find a message relevant.
• Markers: save messages for easy access later.
• Share send messages to other applications or networks.
• More options: include expanding status, pinning it, inserting messages, etc.

Options and apps to access Mastodon on any device

Mastodon is available for access via a web browser from any device, but its app ecosystem is one of the richest in the free software world:

• Web application on mastodon.social and in each instance itself.
• Official applications free for Android and iOS, offering most features and automatic login.
• Third party apps for mobile and desktop (e.g. Tusky, Fedilab, Mastodon for Mac, Pinafore, Subway Tooter, etc.), each with interface variants and advanced options.
• Cross-platform compatibility (Windows, GNU/Linux, macOS, iOS, Android, SailfishOS and more).
• Consult the complete and official list at joinmastodon.org/apps.

Advanced Features: Account Migration and Useful Tools

Mastodon's flexibility extends beyond having accounts on multiple instances. You can:

• Migrate your account and followers from one instance to another without losing contacts (you just need to configure the profile and export/import your lists).
• Verify website ownership adding a snippet of HTML that appears on your profile with a “verified” indicator.
• Connect Mastodon and Twitter through tools like Crossposter, making it easy to publish simultaneously on both networks.
• Import your contacts from other networks and locate users using CSV files or platforms like Debirdify.

Mastodon's impact on digital marketing and social media

For agencies, brands, and digital marketing professionals, Mastodon represents a unique opportunity. By focusing on specific communities and there are no virality algorithms or paid ads, the reach depends on the authenticity and genuine participationStrategies should focus on:

• Create value and trust: with useful, conversational and personalized content.
• Participate in niche communities: adapting the tone and themes to each instance.
• Respect privacy and the sensitivity of users to commercial overexposure.
• Avoid spam and self-promotionAggressive self-promotion is unwelcome; it's key to engage and engage.

Other alternatives and the decentralized microblogging landscape

Mastodon is, today, the basis of the Fediverse, but there are other microblogging platforms and federated networks to consider as alternatives to X/Twitter:

• Bluesky: Driven by Jack Dorsey, it also champions decentralization, although it's still in beta and invitation-only. It focuses on a Twitter-like experience with greater transparency and algorithm customization.
• Threads,: developed by Meta, explores integration from Instagram although it maintains a more corporate focus.
• Counter Social: promises maximum security and privacy, with no ads and advanced anti-bot and anti-abuse features.

Mastodon stands out for its mature development, interoperability, and the positive fragmentation of its global community.

Mastodon FAQ

• Is Mastodon free? Yes, most instances allow free registration and use. Some may request donations to maintain the servers.
• Can I have multiple accounts on different instances? Yes, it's possible and common. Each account is independent, although you can migrate followers if you change the primary account.
• Is there advertising or data collection? No, Mastodon is primarily funded by donations and does not sell data or display ads.

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