Can Mastodon seize the moment from Twitter?

19 snips

Mar 28, 2023

Eugen Rochko, Founder and CEO of Mastodon, explores the platform's unique position as a decentralized alternative to Twitter. He shares insights on user empowerment through server selection and the challenges of scaling such an open-source network. The conversation dives into the balance of governance, the realities of funding, and the complexities of community engagement. Rochko discusses the risks of venture capital and the necessity of transparent moderation policies, while hinting at upcoming features that could enhance user experience.

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INSIGHT

Mastodon's Origin

Mastodon was created because Rochko believed Twitter's importance necessitates decentralized control.
He felt frustrated with Twitter's direction and existing alternatives.

INSIGHT

Mastodon's Structure

Mastodon is free, open-source software for creating interconnected social media servers.
This decentralized network allows diverse software to communicate, fostering a powerful ecosystem.

ANECDOTE

Mastodon's Funding and Growth

Rochko started Mastodon in 2016, initially funding it himself through Patreon donations.
Mastodon has grown from a solo project to a small company with employees and contractors.

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Today I’m talking to Mastodon CEO Eugen Rochko. Mastodon is the open-source, decentralized competitor to Twitter, and it’s where a lot of Twitter users have gone in this, our post-Elon era. The idea is that you don’t join a single platform that one company controls, you join a server, and that server can show you content from users across the entire network. If you decide you don’t like the people who run your server, or you think they’re moderating content too strictly, you can leave, and take your followers and social graph with you. Think about it like email and you’ll get it – if you don’t like Gmail, you can switch to something else, but you don’t have to quit email entirely as a concept.

Now if you are like me, you hear the words open-source and decentralized, and then the word CEO, and you think – wait, why does the decentralized open standard have a CEO? The whole point is that no single person or company is in charge, right? Well, welcome to the wild world of open-source governance. It’s a riot, my friends – you’re going to hear Eugen and I say the phrase benevolent dictator for life in dead seriousness, because that’s how a lot of these projects are run.

Of course, we also talk about money, and structure – Mastodon doesn’t make a lot of money, and Eugen is figuring out how to build a structure that scale past just a handful of people — but keep that in mind, actually. This tiny mostly volunteer labor of love might very well be the future of social networking, and, if you believe the hype about ActivityPub, might have some part in the future of the web. That’s pretty exciting, even if things are seem a little messy in the moment.

Links:

More than two million users have flocked to Mastodon since Elon Musk took over Twitter

A beginner’s guide to Mastodon, the hot new open-source Twitter clone

Elon Musk

Benevolent dictator for life

Mastodon Social

Eugen Rochko (@Gargron@mastodon.social)

XKCD

Erase browser history: can AI reset the browser battle?

Twitter alternatives for the Musk-averse

We tried to run a social media site and it was awful

Denial-of-service attack

Transcript:

https://www.theverge.com/e/23422689

Credits:

Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.

It was produced by Creighton DeSimone and Jackie McDermott and it was edited by Callie Wright.

The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Our Editorial Director is Brooke Minters and our Executive Director is Eleanor Donovan.

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