Released on November 17, 2022
Back to episode listOver the past few weeks, scientists have been transitioning from Twitter to Mastodon. Our very own Nabil-Fareed Alikhan discusses his experience setting up and running a Mastodon server called mstdn.science, which has become a new hub for scientists. Joining the conversation is Emma Hodcroft, providing an independent scientist’s perspective.
In the MicroBinfie podcast, Andrew and Nabil talk about the migration of academics from Twitter to Mastodon, with Nabil playing a pivotal role in this shift. According to Nabil, Mastodon is a free and open web application designed for micro-blogging. It facilitates integration and communication between servers, allowing users to follow, reply, or read content from other servers.
This migration began after Elon Musk acquired Twitter and implemented significant changes, raising concerns about freedom of speech and democracy. In response, Nabil and Duncan launched their own Mastodon instance, mstdn.science, initially aiming to create a social network for bioinformaticians, microbial genomics enthusiasts, and tech-savvy microbiologists. Although they anticipated having only 50-100 users, a larger number of scientists, including Nobel Laureates, journals, and scientists from other disciplines, joined. Nabil's instance now boasts nearly 2000 users.
Meanwhile, other science-related instances like genomic.social or ecoevo.social have also seen a surge in sign-ups. Regarding resources, Nabil and Duncan's virtual server manages almost 2000 users at a cost of around £100 per 1000 users, depending on the level of interaction and following.
The Mastodon network replicates content from other instances, creating numerous jobs even if a user's account remains static. Nabil does not restrict which Mastodon instances can communicate with his site but does block domains that serve unwanted or unsafe content. Despite potential crashes, Nabil believes Mastodon could still thrive in the long run.
Podcast contributors suggest that Twitter's recent changes have left some users dissatisfied, prompting a move to Mastodon, which is a decentralized social media platform. Some problematic servers have been blocked on Mastodon for moderation, and people have transitioned from Twitter to Mastodon as a total replacement. Mastodon has become a "sign" for disillusioned users.
According to Emma, who recently moved from Twitter to Mastodon, Mastodon acts as a hedge against Twitter’s uncertain future. Its decentralized platform shifts power towards content and interaction, a feature unavailable on a centrally controlled platform. While Mastodon might not serve as a one-for-one replacement of Twitter, it suits certain use cases, such as a venue for academics to discuss research papers.
Emma contends that Mastodon’s success doesn't rely on Twitter's trajectory but rather on the "crazy ideas" Twitter may introduce in the future. Although Mastodon may never entirely replicate Twitter, it could potentially offer an even better alternative.