MASTODON, a social networking site, has been around since 2016, but many people might not have heard about it. But it all changed since the whirlwind week at Twitter resulted in mass lay-offs, $8 for verified blue check marks and advertisers backing out due concerns over spread of misinformation on the platform. Users quitting the platform — or merely seeking an alternative — stumbled upon Mastodon, catapulting it into news.

Mastodon, which calls itself a social media network “not for sale” saw more than 70,000 new users the day after Musk completed the purchase of Twitter, according to The Washington Post.

The social network says it now has over 655,000 users — with over 230,000 having joined in the last week, BBC reported.

“The past few days have extracted a heavy toll from me,” Eugen Rochko, the site’s creator, posted on Sunday on Mastodon.

UN rights chief urges Musk to ensure human rights on platform; Twitter unrolls paid subscription system for verified accounts

“While it’s nice to see your work finally taken seriously in the mainstream, the 12-14 hour workdays I’ve had to pull to handle everything is anything but.”

As the frenzy began to unfold at Twitter after Mr Musk sealed the purchase last mo­nth, Mastodon became one of the top global trends.

“Looks like #Mastodon is trending on Twitter as more and more people are announcing their new profiles. Welcome to the better social media that does not belong to a single company and cannot be sold, welcome to the fediverse!,” Mastodon tweeted on Oct 27.

What is Mastodon

Mastodon was created in 2016. It is an open-source and “ad-free” platform which gives users more control over content moderation.

Its user interface resembles Twitter but some of the workings — and the lexicon — of the two platforms differ. On Mastodon, users don’t “tweet”, instead, they “toot”.

According to the BBC, Mastodon is not one platform but a form of a collective network, all owned by different people and organisations.

This network of thousands of sites is called instances or servers. While signing up, the new users have to choose the server they want to join, The Washington Post added. These servers could be based on shared interests, profession, hobbies or geography. Users could also create their own servers, Mashable added.

UN rights chief writes to Musk

Meanwhile, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, on Saturday issued an open letter to Elon Musk, the new owner of Twitter Inc, urging him to “ensure human rights are central to the management of Twitter”, according to Reuters.

“Twitter is part of a global revolution that has transformed how we communicate,” Türk said in the letter.

“But I write with concern and apprehension about our digital public square and Twitter’s role in it.”

“Like all companies, Twitter needs to understand the harms associated with its platform and take steps to address them,” he added. “Respect for our shared human rights should set the guardrails for the platform’s use and evolution. In short, I urge you to ensure human rights are central to the management of Twitter under your leadership,” the high commissioner said.

The letter came a day after Twitter began rolling out the new paid subscription system that Musk ordered staff to build after taking over, AFP reported.

The company has offered an update that will allow iOS users to sign up for the new version of Twitter Blue, which Musk has said will cost $8 a month, and is set to grant users a blue checkmark and perks such as less advertising in their feeds.

“Starting today, we’re adding great new features to Twitter Blue,” said the update. “Get Twitter Blue for $7.99 a month if you sign up now.”

Published in Dawn, November 7th, 2022