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Mastodon

What if your social media accounts could follow, post, and connect across different platforms—without starting from scratch? That’s the idea behind the Fediverse. In this short explainer, you’ll learn how this growing network of independent, connected apps is challenging the big platforms and changing how online communities work. Watch now to understand how the Fediverse brings flexibility, freedom, and portability to the social web.

Duration
03m 21s
Language
English
From the Course
Standards Aligned
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What's About

Most of us are used to social media platforms owned by big companies with ads, algorithms, and tight control. But Mastodon is something different. It looks like Twitter, but under the hood, it’s powered by people—not a corporation.

To explain how it works, this video compares Mastodon to a music festival. If Twitter is one giant fenced-in concert owned by a single company, Mastodon is a collection of community-led shows—each with its own vibe, rules, and audience. You choose your home concert (or community), and from there, you can explore and connect with others across the whole festival.

This analogy helps show that Mastodon isn’t about one central platform. Instead, it’s open-source software that anyone can use to build a community. There’s no CEO, no ads, and no data harvesting—just real people coming together around shared interests.

You’ll learn what to expect when using Mastodon, how to pick your home community, and how your identity and feed stay connected across the wider network. And since Mastodon is part of the Fediverse, you’ll also see how your account can interact with other platforms that follow the same open standards.

In a world of big tech, Mastodon offers a refreshing alternative—one where the power belongs to communities.

What it Matters

Mastodon is part of a growing shift toward decentralization in social media. This video helps learners understand why Mastodon is different from traditional platforms like Twitter—by showing how it puts control into the hands of users and communities. With simple metaphors and practical guidance, it empowers learners to explore new spaces where they’re not just users, but participants in shaping the online world.

By the end of this video, you’ll be able to:

- Describe how Mastodon differs from platforms like Twitter in structure and purpose

- Understand why Mastodon is growing in popularity as a people-powered platform

- Know what to expect when choosing a home community and using Mastodon day to day

- Recognize how Mastodon users stay connected across independent communities

- Explain how Mastodon fits into the larger movement toward decentralized social networking.