Mastodon to replace Twitter?

We all like a bit of sarcasm every once in a while, but when this crosses a line we tend to fall prey to vicious trolls. Have you had the urge to say something on your social media account but feared  of being judged? Well, fret not millennial individuals are now moving to Mastodon! Here’s why!   

Recently a famous social networking portal suspended the account of Supreme court lawyer Sanjay Hegde over a few flagged posts. Following the incident several users including famous influencers migrated to Mastodon.

What is Mastodon?
This is an open source social network. Similar to other apps, users can post (Toot) opinions, images and follow other users if the community permits it. However, unlike other platforms Mastodon has no specific person or a particular server monitoring it. While other social networking sites have a control over the information shared. Anyone can create their own community and run it the way they want!

Are we ready to be part of a network that is not monitored?
According to Vinay Raj an analyst this platform gives people the opportunity to be civilised and objective with their opinions. He says, “I like the idea that my personal information is not sold to any companies to approach me like other social media sites. The very fact that we can connect with like minded people by choosing which community we want to be a part of, saves a lot of time in analysing if the people we are acquainted with are authentic. There is no scope for fake profiles.”

Mastodon also offers effective anti-abuse tools to help moderate instances as users see fit! This networking site cannot go bankrupt, cannot be bought by anyone and it can’t be blocked by the government. With over a million users worldwide this networking site is growing rapidly.

How does it feel to be on Mastodon?
For Joshua George who is a user and follows the Mastodon.xyz community says that he is indeed having a good experience. “People are tired of the anger and fake news that are promenading in other social network sites. However, in this case the community (instances) provide a safe platform to connect with people and just have fun. Before you join any community you can read what it is about in the information section and the community that I am on doesn’t have any restriction to content as such! This community alone has over 8,000 users,” he opines.

The term 'open source network' might seem a bit eerie and so when we asked developer Sunil Anupuru for an insight on the technical bit here's what he had to say, "Mastodon basically provides a platform for people to open their own community, with exclusive access given to the moderator of each of these communities. Hence, when you choose to be part of a community you will have to trust the moderator alone and Mastodon does not have a say in this."