Twitter is going through some turmoil at the moment… to say the least. Ever since the new “Chief Twit” took over, many advertisers and popular users have fled the app in search of greener pastures. With competition at its weakest, several Twitter alternatives have stepped up to take the popular app’s place. Apps like Cohost, B-Herd and CounterSocial are offering new, safe spaces for users in fear of what “free speech” might resemble on Twitter, however, the app getting the most buzz as of late is Mastodon.
Is Mastodon The Emerging Alternative To Twitter?
Mastodon is a decentralized social media app. Unlike the communal celebration setting of Twitter, Mastodon operates more like a strip mall off I-85. The platform consists of a network of servers called “instances” that are managed by users, and this means that signing up for it is a bit tricky – for example, you need to choose a specific server to start with. Will be, and you can even make your own.
how to sign up
Starting an account on Mastodon is simple. After clicking “Get Started”, the app asks users to choose the servers they want to connect to. Although Mastodon has been around for six years, so far, the user base is fairly small, sitting at around 600,000+ active users (most of whom, it appears, are European). Servers can be regional, hobby-based, or work-related.
After selecting the instance you want to join, you create a username. Usernames act like email addresses, in whatever instance you’ve joined. It is formatted like this:
,[Username],[MastodonInstance.Domain]
And just like that, you’re done. All you have to do is make your first post and you’ve officially made the switch. See how easy that was?
