What Is Mastodon? (And Why You, A Leftist, Should Be On It)

Given the current situation surrounding YouTube and Twitter’s poor treatment of LGBT creators, decentralised social networks are becoming more important as alternatives that may eventually take some power away from corporations.

After 2+ years of existence, Mastodon presents both a viable alternative to Twitter for those who choose to engage in political discourse, and a safe space/retreat for those who need it.

The platform may not be perfect, (though my own experience has been very positive) but it at the very least represents a significant step in the right direction.

There are of course more decentralised alternatives than just Mastodon - others comparable to Twitter, but also alternatives to Facebook and YouTube. Peertube, YouTube’s alternative, is still in its early stages and very rough around the edges, but it has potential if it gains more input and traction.

If decentralisation becomes more commonplace, there will be many issues to work around, but as it does provide a more ethically sound platform than the ones currently available to us, I think its worth investing energy into these platforms and seeing where that leads.

Furry Art by
Ash: temporalcatnip across sites

Resources:

navigate to the /about/more section of an instance to learn more about its themes guidelines.

[JamesTaylor-bocv]

1:00 as is natural. Furries will fill any space that doesn't hate them which is very few places.

[fede]

I had no idea there were so many other people that were into Mastodon. I never got to see them live, but I listen to them non stop.

I will not appologize.

[LavenderBunArt]

Very informative! I'm still somewhat new to mastodon but as an artist, it's such a good self esteem boost to suddenly feel like you're not shouting into the void like it is with other large sites. I'll definitely be sticking around! Great vid! Loved seeing my art pop up <3
And I'll definitely be checking out the band you mentioned!

[stevenbrodie]

Expecting this to get a viewer boost around now

[Packbat]

I speculate that one of the things that's come from content warnings on Mastodon is a move away from going viral by upsetting people. Not malicious-upsetting, necessarily, but ... like, angering news has a way of bypassing our judgment to get us to reshare it immediately and without deliberation, so most social media encourages people to present such news in the most angering way they can get away with so the most people will reshare it...

...but that might not work when there are CWs. Even someone who reflexively clicks to open it will have been reminded that what it contains is stressful, which makes the act of resharing less automatic.

The net effect is: even post-Trump, Mastodon doesn't constantly ramp up the tension in my body with DIRE POLITICAL NEWS. And fluff like Trump using fast food burgers for catering doesn't fill up people's timelines because why bother sharing something that irrelevant?

It being marginally more thoughtful by its very formatting actually has substantial positive effects.

[Lexi_Zone]

Great video! ♡ I'll spread it around to people I think would enjoy using Mastodon. I for one found that my mental health improved dramatically when I finally got away from Twitter and started using Mastodon instead.



The video touches on this a little, but I just thought I'd expand on this a little for anyone scrolling through the comments: Mastodon is the software, but the social network it connects to is the Fediverse. There are alternatives to Mastodon that connect to the same Fediverse, such as Plemora, Plume, PixelFed, and many more. Mastodon is basically the Fediverse version of Twitter, while Plume is more like proper blogging, and PixelFed is for image hosting. So even if Mastodon isn't for you, maybe there's something else that accesses the Fediverse that's more your jam!


...I guess that does make it sound even more complicated when needing to pick an instance can already be a confusing place to start...



On content warnings: if you're ever in a situation where you're unsure if your post needs a content warning or not, just give it one. It doesn't hurt! Just think of it like the subject line in an email.

[indubitablyodin]

This is really great, it' be nice to have an updated version!

[excrubulent]

"Mastodon isn't really favoured by Nazis and remains a largely Nazi-free zone."

You should have led with that.

That should have been in the title.

BRB joining Mastodon.

[luie]

Ok, you convinced me so I'm on. But idk anyone else who uses this

[CaptainWyatt]

This is especially helpful now that everyone has been jumping over to Mastadon to escape Elon's dumpster fire.

[cassiejade]

another reason i think its hard to convince people to join mastodon is i feel like the main reason a lot of people are on social media is to talk to their friends, and if their friends aren't on mastodon, which they probably aren't, there's not much on an incentive to join. however, this might get better as more people join idk

[chrisroth]

Thank you so much for this video! I will share it :endlessly:!

[marv]

First of, great explanation for Mastodon newbies :) Thanks for that!

Jumping on Mastodon is just the same short-thinking as joining just another social network. Instead people should learn the idea behind it and the standard "ActivityPub". Mastodon is not the revolution, it's just the biggest frontend of the ActivityPub protocol. Also, other frontends such as Misskey, Hubspot, Pleroma, Soapbox, and so on, work with the same protocol and are compatible to each other.

Big opportunity missed here by explaining that. But again, join mastodon, at some point you will move to a more fitting frontend :)

[OneOfThePetes]

I'm new to mastodon (admin of my own instance).
What you say is spot on mate! :)

[water]

Huh... so its like discord but interconnected

[chaotic_enby]

it's so weird to watch this after the whole elon musk twitter thing, as a mastodon user who joined a few months before the whole elon musk twitter thing. Also very weird how much it has changed in that time. I feel like now it's like an in-between thing of old mastodon and twitter, and I kind of miss the old mastodon (those were some nice few months), but I'm also glad that all the people who came after it are there and I got to know them.

[MicahRion]

I've never heard of Mastodon. Thanks for the introduction!

[jonathandixon]

Thank you. I wish I found Mastodon a year ago. Would have saved me time.

[Shonalika]

Are you on Mastodon or another decentralised network? Comment your experiences below!


This is also my first video in this format, so lemme know what you think.


(Not going to stop doing music! ^^ More songs on the way. they just take more time/energy/general everything)

[badwrongfun]

Nice to see you spread the word! I help mod Witches.live, a general instance run by leftist trans folks. So if you want to try out an instsnce, we're always open for sign ups. The theme rather loose; you don't have to be a "witch" just not a terf, Nazi, or cop. I've been with mastodon since near day one, and I can't see myself going to back to corporate sites. You did a good job of explaing a lot of the appeal.