Mastodon Surges in Popularity as Twitter Users Eye the Exits

A previously obscure social network known as Mastodon has acquired hundreds of thousands of new users since Elon Musk took over Twitter last week, according to the founder and CEO. Eugen Rochko was quoted telling CNN that the Mastodon app—which doesn’t have ads and depends on crowdfunding—onboarded 230,000 new users over the past week. “It is not as large as Twitter, obviously, but it is the biggest that this network has ever been,” he said. The app has gained popularity as Twitter users eye the exits over an influx of hate speech since Musk took over—along with general chaos. Some new Mastodon users have vented on Twitter about their frustrations using the micro-blogging site, however. Upon signing up, users have to choose a server, which many find both restrictive and somewhat confusing. “I appreciate that alternatives like Mastodon exist but holy shit I should not need to take a masterclass on servers to join a social media network,” movie creator Jessica Ellis tweeted. Others pointed out how in choosing one server, you are left limited in what you see. “I don’t want to be siloed into a server. I’m not just gay. I’m not just a journalist. I’m not just someone who enjoy music,” one reporter said on Twitter regarding Mastodon. “I like interacting with all of you in one big chaotic space and exchanging thoughts on all these things.”

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