Mastodon is an open-source, decentralized social media platform that Eugen Rochko launched in 2016. It’s become a roadmap for other companies to follow as they provide a vibrant, robust alternative to today’s social media giants such as Twitter. While Mastodon has some cool features and its distributed nature is definitely more in line with community standards, it fosters a participatory environment that centers user privacy and control in public discourse. As of summer 2025, the platform boasts approximately 10 million registered users, although it still has fewer than one million active users monthly, representing only a fraction of Twitter’s vast user base.
Mastodon uses ActivityPub, a decentralized protocol that lets various platforms within the “Fediverse” communicate with one another seamlessly. Mastodon allows users to follow and interact with users, no matter what social media platform they are using. This creates exciting opportunities for dialogue and helps to cultivate a diverse online community. Upon first examination, the resulting platform architecture may appear rudimentary. At its core is a sophisticated infrastructure that enables rich, varied user experiences at the same time as it upholds user privacy and security.
Features and Functionality
Perhaps the most notable feature of Mastodon is its commitment to user privacy and content moderation. Elon’s new feature through which users can set their post’s privacy at the time of drafting. This provision provides them with increased latitude when releasing the information. Mastodon at first made the decision to not include a quote tweet-like feature. In 2025, it added this functionality, making its platform more intuitive and in line with social media norms.
Mastodon has picked up a lot of the conventions that Twitter users are used to, such as replies, reblogs, hearts (favorites), bookmarks and hashtags. Users can post updates called “toots,” though that term is changing and becoming a little less common as the platform continues to develop. Each toot may feature up to four photographs, with individual image files limited to eight megabytes. And now, you can upload video and audio files directly to your posts! Be advised though, the file size limit for every file uploaded is 40 megabytes.
“There are many existing protocols for decentralizing discourse, including ActivityPub, SSB, Matrix, & RSS. Each of these are successful in their own right, but none of them fully met the goals we had for a network that enables global long-term public conversations at scale.” – bluesky
Server Selection and User Experience
When signing up on Mastodon, users have to choose a server that will host their user profile. This decision has far-reaching consequences from creating an immutable address for every user and thereby affecting their flexibility, portability and overall experience on the platform. This foundational first step makes it easy to connect with users and engage her effortlessly. It goes far in developing a tight-knit collective culture, spanning all different spaces on the Fediverse.
Mastodon’s user base is still relatively small compared to social media titans like Twitter. Its founders emphasize the importance of creating a space that encourages thoughtful discussions rather than just engagement-driven interactions typical of larger platforms.
Community Engagement and Growth
Mastodon will keep expanding organically, by word-of-mouth and grassroots efforts. Many users appreciate its role as a “watercooler of the world,” where conversations can thrive without the pressures often found on traditional social media platforms. This longing embodies the urge for a more human-centric approach to online discourse.
Mastodon’s future is indeed very bright! It still works to attract people looking for a different experience than what they’re finding on other social media platforms. This capacity of the platform to support self-verification through profile links provides another layer of authenticity and trust among users. With the help of the rel=”me” attribute, users can connect their accounts on various platforms, making them more trusted members of the community.
