How Mastodon works

How is it different from X/Twitter, Bluesky, Threads or W-Social?

Mastodon isn’t owned by a single company or individual. It consists of various servers that are interconnected. This allows for greater scope for custom rules, independent management and personal choice.

With commercial or new platforms, questions often arise regarding algorithms, adverts, data, ownership, shareholders, business models and control. Mastodon gives users and communities more control over their online environment.

Why are open source and open standards important?

Mastodon is open source and uses open standards. This makes the software verifiable, reusable and less dependent on a single supplier. Thanks to open standards, different Mastodon servers can communicate with one another, just as you can use email to reach people who use a different provider.

How long has Mastodon been around?

Mastodon has been around since 2016. The network now consists of thousands of servers worldwide and is used by millions of users every month.

Can I view Mastodon without an account?

Yes. Many profiles and posts are publicly viewable. So you can have a look around first without an account. Examples of organisations:

• SURF (@SURF@social.edu.nl)
• University of Twente (@utwente@social.edu.nl)
• DANS (@DANS_knaw_nwo@social.edu.nl)
• Rijkswaterstaat Verkeersinfo (@RWSverkeersinfo@social.overheid.nl)
• De Correspondent (@decorrespondent@mastodon.nl)

Examples of people:

• Bert Hubert (@bert_hubert@mastodon.nl)
• Ionica Smeets (@ionica@mathstodon.xyz)
• Willemijn Aerdts (@stasdigi@social.overheid.nl)
• Fokke & Sukke (@foksuk@mastodon.nl)

Isn’t Mastodon just a bubble?

No. The fact that Mastodon consists of different servers doesn’t mean that everyone is in their own bubble. That would be like saying that Gmail users only communicate with other Gmail users and Hotmail users only with other Hotmail users. In practice, Mastodon actually functions as a single global network of interconnected servers. Some servers have a theme, such as the government’s Mastodon (social.overheid.nl), or focus on a specific target group, such as mathematicians (mathstodon.xyz), but users can follow one another, read posts and reply across these servers.

Good to know: due to Mastodon’s open nature, a server may deliberately choose not to connect to other servers. Truth Social, Donald Trump’s platform, for example, is based on Mastodon but functions as a closed, standalone platform with an estimated user base of millions. Talk about reach! This clearly illustrates the difference: you can and may use Mastodon as an ‘island’, but Mastodon’s strength lies precisely in its open connectivity and the hand it extends to the thousands of other corners of society.

What does Mastodon have to do with public values?

Mastodon is not automatically larger or more user-friendly than other platforms. But the choice of a community or communication platform is not just about reach and convenience. It is also about independence, privacy, transparency, social safety, reliable information and a say in decision-making, particularly within public research and education.

With Mastodon, the education and research sectors have an alternative that is better aligned with academic freedom, public values and digital autonomy.