What is Mastodon and why are Twitter users flocking there? Here’s everything you need to know.

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Many Twitter users have been jumping ship since Elon Musk took over the social-media platform. Mastodon, a social network founded in 2016, is reaping the benefits of this exodus. 

Mastodon’s CEO, Eugen Rochko, says the platform has over one million users, with 489,003 new users signing up since October 27 — the day that Musk closed his $44 billion deal to buy Twitter.

Mastodon follows a similar format to Twitter. Users share posts, known as “toots,” and follow each other.

However, unlike Twitter, the software is open-source and decentralized, meaning there is no one server or company running it. 

The site is around six years old but is gaining a new lease of life with some Twitter users who are seeking an alternative platform, following Musk’s takeover.

How to make a Mastodon profile? 

Similar to other major social-media networks, Mastodon users set up a profile with a username, display name, short bio, avatar, and header.

Users can also set “profile flags” to let others know how they want to use the platform and be interacted with.

Usernames on Mastodon are more like emails than typical social-media handles. Users choose the first part of their username and the second part is whichever Mastodon server they signed up with.

Most usernames will look something like this: @username@Mastodon server.

How to start posting

Mastodon’s character limit is larger than Twitter’s. Toots have a limit of 500 characters per post.

Users interact with each other by replying, liking, or resharing these toots. They can also follow each other or search through hashtags.

Verification is free on the platform, although Mastodon manages the process slightly differently to Twitter.

Mastodon offers link verification that cross-references any links in a user’s profile to prove they are the real owner. For example, users could link to a personal blog or homepage. 

What are Mastodon’s instances?

Mastodon is run across multiple servers that are connected by common technology. The first thing users do after they sign up is join a server, known as “instances.” 

These servers are themed, usually by things like countries, cities, or interests, and aim to put users in a community of people that are likely to post things they are interested in.

Since the servers are all connected, users across servers can still follow and interact with each other.

Each server is in charge of its own rules and content moderation and users are encouraged to join the ones they agree with. 

Some servers ask for donations as creating and maintaining them is volunteer-based, but most are free.