Twitter's business model is based on advertising
Posted: Wed Jan 08, 2025 4:24 am
In October 2022, Twitter changed hands. While the social network with the little bird had been controversial in the past regarding security policies and freedom of expression, the arrival of Elon Musk caused a lot of stir.
As a result, some users decided to migrate to Mastodon. Visually, it presented itself as a platform somewhat similar to Twitter, and several of its functions were certainly analogous.
But most importantly, unlike centralized networks, on Mastodon each instance can have its own rules about what kind of content is acceptable and what isn’t. By being enforced locally, each instance can respond to the needs of different groups of people, and users can join a server that has policies they agree with.
That is one of the features that most attracted those who were unhappy with Musk's arrival at Twitter and the changes he has since promoted on the platform . The exodus to Mastodon boosted its growth like never before, which in December 2022 reached a peak of two and a half million new users per month. However, it is still a long way from being a massive social network.
Another big difference between Twitter and Mastodon is the way they are funded. If the network doesn't get advertisers, it has no way to generate revenue. Mastodon, on the other hand, is funded through crowdfunding, meaning it receives contributions from users, individuals in general, or other organizations.
Because of this, Mastodon is ad-free, and user data is not used in any way. It also has no personalization algorithm: posts are displayed in the feed chronologically.
Where to start?
The joinmastodon.org website is a great starting point. Not only does it china phone number explain in a simple and user-friendly way how the platform works, but it also offers a server directory where you can find an instance based on the region, language, or theme you are interested in.
For general use cases, mastodon.social or mstdn.social are two good choices. But there are thousands out there! The key is to find one that works for you to get started, and take the time to understand how it works. It's also worth noting that there are more and more tutorials out there, like this one from Patricio Contreras .
As a result, some users decided to migrate to Mastodon. Visually, it presented itself as a platform somewhat similar to Twitter, and several of its functions were certainly analogous.
But most importantly, unlike centralized networks, on Mastodon each instance can have its own rules about what kind of content is acceptable and what isn’t. By being enforced locally, each instance can respond to the needs of different groups of people, and users can join a server that has policies they agree with.
That is one of the features that most attracted those who were unhappy with Musk's arrival at Twitter and the changes he has since promoted on the platform . The exodus to Mastodon boosted its growth like never before, which in December 2022 reached a peak of two and a half million new users per month. However, it is still a long way from being a massive social network.
Another big difference between Twitter and Mastodon is the way they are funded. If the network doesn't get advertisers, it has no way to generate revenue. Mastodon, on the other hand, is funded through crowdfunding, meaning it receives contributions from users, individuals in general, or other organizations.
Because of this, Mastodon is ad-free, and user data is not used in any way. It also has no personalization algorithm: posts are displayed in the feed chronologically.
Where to start?
The joinmastodon.org website is a great starting point. Not only does it china phone number explain in a simple and user-friendly way how the platform works, but it also offers a server directory where you can find an instance based on the region, language, or theme you are interested in.
For general use cases, mastodon.social or mstdn.social are two good choices. But there are thousands out there! The key is to find one that works for you to get started, and take the time to understand how it works. It's also worth noting that there are more and more tutorials out there, like this one from Patricio Contreras .