A new kind of Social Media, Mastodon and the Fediverse.
A new kind of Social Media, Mastodon and the Fediverse.
So Yesterday, I, Bitsy_the_Alien (Bitsy J. E. Tandem) was on Fedica, directly after having had a very long and emotional conversation with Assistant Bean. We had just talked about how terrible the social media experiment has gone for lil ol’ me over the past… what, 14 years?
I was ranting and crying over the entire unfairness of the world, I will admit.
Yes. I am a baby. (๑´༥｀๑)
But seeing your creative whimsy slowly die for lack of anyone giving two shites for it online, year after year, can do strange and haunting things to a very small alien like your squishy sweet Bitsy.
And I know.
I know just how good I have it, to live in a space where my voice can be, if not heard, at least freely spoken. To have a great love match with such a handsome cosmic legume. To even be able to try and fail over and over again, the only cost being that of my mental state.
Yes, I see and count my blessings. ( ˊᵕˋ )♡.°⑅
Yet there I sat, on Fedica, once again trying to schedule out posts and do the online hustling that is apparently necessary to find other Star Wanderers who actually want to hang out. （´∇｀’‘）
And while adding my newly revamped Tumblr account, I spotted a platform simply called Mastodon.
As this was new to my eyes, I did what any alien would do and Googled it.
As we all know by now, traditional social media platforms are centralized. One company owns the service, controls the infrastructure, and makes decisions about how content is distributed. It also gets to decide what you see, what gets promoted, and how much of your attention it wants to sell.
And sometimes it seems to want to charge you an arm and a leg for the privilege, if not just steal your art and face outright…
Mastodon is different.
It is decentralized. Individual servers are operated by independent administrators, organizations, or communities. They establish their own rules, manage their own moderation, and maintain their own infrastructure.
And that leads to some rather cool possibilities!
I’ve recently joined the platform myself, setting up over at sakurajima.moe, and I’m rather excited to see what this little corner of the internet has to offer.
So far, immediate results!!! ( ˶°ㅁ°) !!
As someone who works in the VTuber industry, creates anime art, writes stories, and runs an independent creative studio, I’m always interested in platforms that give people a chance to connect with one another in a more authentic way.
I had high hopes for Bluesky back when it popped up. But uh… Well, no one who watches my streams uses it, and all I ever seem to see on my feed there is furries.
No judgment! Just not quite my thing. I just, like, anime men~ ( ◡̀ ̫ ◡́) ✧
But who knew that this lil decentralized elephant platform had been around for so long? It has actually been around since 2016. That’s nearly as long as I’ve been married!
Wild.
The Mastodon web application takes a bit of getting used to. But if you’re looking to get away from endless advertisements, aggressive algorithms, constant sales pitches, and platforms that seem to change the rules every other Tuesday, Mastodon may be worth exploring.
It’s similar to Bluesky in the sense that you can post updates, follow people, share content, and have conversations. But it works through something called federation.
And don’t worry. We’re going to make that sound much less complicated than it does.
Rather than everyone signing up on one central website, Mastodon consists of independently operated servers, commonly called instances.
Think of each instance as its own little community, with its own administrators, moderation policies, and sometimes a particular theme or interest.
You might find servers dedicated to:
For example, you might join a server because you love anime, while your friend joins one because they’re interested in photography. You can still follow each other and interact!
That’s the important part.
You don’t have to join the same server as your friends to stay connected.
Mastodon instances communicate with one another through a decentralized network known as the Fediverse.
Kinda cute, huh?
(˶>⩊<˶) Certainly rolls off the tongue better than iiiSekai Extended Multiverse.
Join the iiiXM today and I will give you a cookie~
The Fediverse is a collection of interconnected social platforms that communicate using open protocols, particularly one called ActivityPub.
That means people using compatible platforms can interact, follow accounts, share posts, and build friendships across different services.
It’s a little like having thousands of independently operated communities that can all talk to one another.
Mastodon is one of the best-known members of this network, but it isn’t the only one.
Some other platforms you might come across include:
These platforms can communicate with one another, even though they look and function differently.
For example, someone using a Mastodon account can follow certain users on Pixelfed without needing to create an entirely separate account there.
There are some limitations, of course. Not every platform or server connects to every other one, and individual administrators can restrict connections. But the general idea is that your social world doesn’t have to be trapped inside one company’s website.
And honestly, there’s something rather charming about that.
This is where things get interesting for anyone who has ever looked at their social media feed and wondered:
Why am I seeing this?
Most mainstream social platforms are built around centralized systems. A company owns the platform and decides how the service operates. Algorithms often determine which posts appear in your feed, while advertising and engagement systems influence what gets shown to you.
Mastodon takes a different approach.
Here are a few things that make it stand out:
1. Your feed is more directly shaped by who you follow.
Mastodon’s home feed primarily shows posts from accounts you follow, in chronological order. You aren’t required to rely on a recommendation algorithm to decide which posts deserve your attention.
There are discovery features, too, but the experience is much more centered on your own choices.
2. Communities have more independence.
Each server has its own administrators and moderation policies. That means communities can establish the kind of environment they want to maintain.
Of course, this also means you should take a moment to read the rules before joining a server. Different communities have different expectations.
3. You aren’t locked into one giant community.
You can join a server that suits your interests while still connecting with people elsewhere in the Fediverse.
4. There is no single company controlling the entire network.
Mastodon is open-source software, and its servers are independently operated. This doesn’t mean there are no costs or administrators involved. Servers still need hosting, maintenance, and moderation. But the network isn’t dependent on one company owning every part of the experience.
5. You have more control over your experience.
You can choose who to follow, which communities to join, what content to filter, and which accounts or servers you want to avoid.
Is it perfect? No. No social platform is.
But having alternatives is a good thing. Especially when the alternatives give us more choices about how we want to spend our time online.
So, how do you pick the domain best for you? Where do you set up your account?
Well, you can start here!
There are a bunch of well-labeled lil places to hang your hat. You can browse by topic, language, and other community preferences to find a server that sounds like your kind of place.
I joined Sakurajima (桜島)!
You can find me here: https://sakurajima.moe/@Bitsy
Sakurajima is an English-speaking Mastodon community focused on Japanese media, anime, manga, light novels, video games, and the creative communities surrounding them.
It’s also a welcoming space for bloggers, artists, video creators, and podcasters.
Which, as you might imagine, sounds rather perfect for an alien who spends her days drawing anime girls, building VTuber models, writing fictional histories, and occasionally DJing video game music at da clubs in downtown Tokyo.
The community was established in 2022 and is designed to provide an alternative to mainstream social media, with an emphasis on Japanese media fandom and independent creators.
I particularly like that it isn’t exclusively for people who create content professionally. You can simply be someone who loves anime, enjoys illustration, follows VTubers, or wants to find people who share your interests.
And there’s one feature I was particularly excited about:
Sakurajima allows posts of up to 3,000 characters!
That’s considerably more than the standard 500-character limit on many Mastodon servers.
For someone who occasionally has a little too much to say, this is excellent news. ( ˶ˆᗜˆ˵ )
You can also share your work and promote your projects in the community. Just keep it classy. Don’t spam links, don’t treat everyone like a potential customer, and actually participate in conversations.
Make good posts. Be a person. You know, the usual socializing stuff.
Sounds a lot like Substack… (👁ˋ _ ˊ 👁)
And that’s something I’d love to see more of across the internet.
Less gatekeeping, more door opening!
I keep coming back to the idea that people who find their way into a space should help make room for others to follow. Let people network, let them share, and let them make their own money. There is room for more than one person to thrive.
And honestly, that’s the kind of internet I want to be part of.
Now, if you’re coming from Instagram, Facebook, X, or Bluesky, Mastodon might look a little unfamiliar at first.
Don’t panic. You’re not expected to understand the entire Fediverse before you can post a picture of your lunch.
Here’s a little beginner’s guide to getting started.
First, visit the Mastodon server directory and find a community that interests you.
You don’t necessarily need to choose a server based on your location. You can join one based on hobbies, interests, language, or simply the kind of community you’d like to be part of.
Before signing up, take a look at its rules and moderation policies. Some servers have open registration, while others require an application or approval.
And don’t worry too much about choosing the perfect one. Mastodon allows you to move your account to another server later, although there are a few account details and limitations to understand when doing so.
Just like any other social platform, you’ll want a profile picture, a header image, and a little introduction about yourself.
Tell people what you enjoy, what you do, or what you’d like to see more of on your feed.
You can also include hashtags in your profile to make it easier for others to discover your interests.
For example, if you’re an anime fan, you might include tags related to anime, manga, illustration, or gaming.
And yes, you can absolutely make your profile cute.
This is the internet. We have standards.
This is probably the biggest adjustment for newcomers.
On some mainstream platforms, you can sign up and immediately receive a feed full of recommended content. Mastodon is more dependent on you finding accounts and communities you actually want to follow.
Start by searching for your favorite creators, artists, bloggers, and friends.
You can also browse the local timeline on your server to see what people in your community are talking about.
Mastodon has three main timelines worth knowing about:
The local timeline is a particularly nice place to start if you’re new. It gives you a glimpse of the community you’ve joined.
And don’t be afraid to follow people outside your interests, either. Sometimes the best part of social media is discovering something you didn’t know you were looking for.
Hashtags are particularly useful on Mastodon.
Because your feed isn’t built around the same kind of recommendation algorithm found on many mainstream platforms, hashtags help people find posts about subjects they enjoy.
For example:
You can search for hashtags, follow them, and use them in your own posts.
One important thing to understand: hashtags don’t magically send your post to every server in existence. They make it easier for people searching or following those topics to discover your content, depending on how their server and app handle discovery.
Still, they’re a great way to find your people!
If you’ve used Twitter or Tumblr, you’ll recognize some of these features.
A boost is similar to a repost or retweet. It shares someone else’s post with your followers.
A reply lets you join a conversation, and you can also favorite posts to show appreciation.
Mastodon also has content warnings, which allow you to hide the body of a post behind a notice. They’re useful for sensitive topics, spoilers, or content that people may prefer to choose whether they see.
You’ll also notice that Mastodon users sometimes refer to posts as toots. This is a bit of leftover community terminology, although not everyone uses it.
Personally, I think it’s adorable.
This is perhaps the most important piece of advice I can give.
You might not find hundreds of people to follow on your first day. Your feed might feel a little quiet. You might not immediately understand where everyone is or how to find the conversations you want to join.
That’s okay!
Follow a few accounts, browse some hashtags, introduce yourself, and participate in conversations.
Social media is supposed to be social, after all.
You don’t need to turn it into another full-time job.
I think Mastodon is worth exploring, but I also want to be realistic about what it can and can’t do.
If you’re looking for an instant replacement for Instagram or TikTok, Mastodon may not be what you expect.
It’s not necessarily going to hand you a stream of viral videos or thousands of recommended accounts the moment you sign up.
Discovery can take a little more effort, and the experience can vary depending on which server you choose. Some servers have more active communities than others, and administrators have their own responsibilities and limitations.
There are also fewer people on Mastodon than on some of the enormous mainstream platforms, so you may not find all your friends there right away.
But that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to discover.
In fact, I think that’s part of the appeal.
You can find smaller communities, talk to people who share your interests, and build a feed that feels a little more like something you chose for yourself.
And if you’re a creator, artist, writer, or small business owner, it’s another place to share your work and meet people who might genuinely enjoy what you make.
Just remember that it’s still a social platform. You don’t own the server, and your experience depends in part on the people who operate it. Read the rules, be mindful of what you share, and don’t put all your eggs in one digital basket.
Keep your own website, mailing list, and other ways of reaching your audience, too. Social platforms can change, disappear, or become less useful over time.
We’ve learned that lesson enough times, haven’t we?
I think so!
Especially if you’re someone who enjoys smaller communities, independent creators, and having a little more control over your social media experience.
I personally wish Mastodon could replace every other platform. If only we could go poof and magically solve all the problems with social media. Wouldn’t that be nice?
But I realize that I am the odd one here. Alien and all that.
I don’t expect everyone to abandon their favorite platforms overnight. You don’t have to delete your Instagram, close your Facebook account, or disappear from every other corner of the internet to give Mastodon a try.
You can simply join, explore, and see if you like it.
Perhaps you’ll find a lovely little community. Perhaps you’ll meet a new artist whose work you adore. Perhaps you’ll discover a group of people who enjoy exactly the same wonderfully niche things you do.
And maybe, just maybe, social media can feel a little more social again.
So give it some thought, and perhaps join me in exploring this new-old decentralized social platform. I think it’s refreshing to have alternatives.
You can find me over at Sakurajima:
Oh, and…
Stay Strange out there~
Bitsy