Donald Trump has officially been reinstated on Twitter, an act that many users see as the beginning of the end for the platform.
The former president is well known for his use of Twitter’s often unregulated open forum, something that eventually — after years of spreading misinformation and hurling personal attacks — got him a lifetime ban from the platform. All of that changed when Elon Musk entered the scene, however, snatching up Twitter and promptly reinstating Trump’s old account.
This act, combined with several other starkly unpopular decisions from the Tesla CEO, has seen Twitter’s user base shift in a distinctly red direction. The majority of people still using the site are either there to witness its downfall, or are ardent supporters of Musk and the policies he is enacting. This leaves many of Twitter’s less-radical users with few options that compete with Twitter’s unique social formula — at least among the most well-known platforms.
There is a Twitter competitor on the rise, however, and people are now flocking to Mastodon in droves. The open-source platform offers up microblogging options that will feel familiar to longtime Twitter users, and could become a name to be recognized in the social media fold.
Creating a Mastodon account isn’t quite as simple as the process behind Twitter, but once you’ve reviewed our walkthrough of where to select a server, sign up, and start sharing, you’ll be ready to make the transition. First, however, you’ll need to find the right server for your purposes.
How to select the best server on Mastodon
Mastodon isn’t a singular site like Twitter. Instead, it offers up a range of separate servers through which people can get their Twitter-adjacent fix. Which server is best for you will rely heavily on how you intend to use it, what your primary interests are, and what, exactly, you’re looking for in a social media platform. A number of the site’s most popular options will present similar forums to Twitter, but users can also hone in and get far more specific.
The best way to choose the right Mastodon server for your purposes is to browse through the various options offered up by the site. If you peruse the list of available servers, you’ll find broad and all-encompassing sites, like Mastodon party or libretooth, which should provide the most Twitter-like experience. If you’re looking for something that hones in on specific interests, however, Mastodon almost certainly has a hyper-specific server tailor-made for you.
The site offers up servers dedicated to specific areas or countries, as well as interests. Among the top selections alone, there are servers for “maths people,” “Ireland, people who call Ireland home, and the Irish diaspora,” “beer and free software lovers,” journalists, medical professionals, and unionized workers, to name just a few. If you’d like to enjoy social media with a far more niche focus, one of these servers will certainly appeal to you.
You can also take part in multiple Mastodon servers if you’d like to broaden your interests somewhat. Joining one of the more Twitter-like servers can provide users with the nostalgic microblogging they’ve come to enjoy, but branching out and enjoying a server focused around food, beer, or sports can provide a far more relaxing and enjoyable social media experience.