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Mastodon

free and open-source federated social networking project

AI overview

Mastodon is a free, open-source social media platform where users can share posts and interact with others, similar to Twitter, but designed to be decentralized so that no single company controls it. It matters because it offers an alternative to corporate-run social networks, giving users more privacy and control over their data while allowing different independent servers to communicate with each other.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Article

The mascot of the Mastodon social network Mastodon is a free and open-source software platform for decentralized social networking with microblogging features similar to Twitter. It operates as a federated network of independently managed servers that communicate using the ActivityPub protocol, allowing users to connect across different instances within the Fediverse. Each Mastodon instance establishes its own moderation policies and content guidelines, distinguishing it from centrally controlled social media platforms.

First released in 2016 by Eugen Rochko, Mastodon has positioned itself as an alternative to mainstream social media, particularly for users seeking decentralized, community-driven spaces. The platform has experienced multiple surges in adoption, most notably following the Twitter acquisition by Elon Musk in 2022, as users sought alternatives to Twitter. It is part of a broader shift toward decentralized social networks, including Bluesky and Lemmy.