【Monica Swinn】

Twitter – now known as X – is Monica Swinngoing through some turmoil at the moment...to say the least. Ever since the new "Chief Twit" took over, many advertisers and popular users have fled from the app, seeking greener pastures. With the competition at its weakest, many Twitter alternatives have stepped up to take the popular app's place. Apps like Bluesky Social, Cohost, B-Heard, and CounterSocial are offering new, safer spaces for users afraid of what "free speech" looks like on Twitter, however, the app gaining the most buzz as of late is Mastodon.

SEE ALSO: Is Mastodon the emerging alternative to Twitter?

Mastodon is a decentralized social media app. Unlike the communal festival setting of Twitter, Mastodon operates more like a strip mall off I-85. The platform has a network of servers which are called "instances" that are managed by users, and that means it’s a bit trickier to sign up for — you have to choose a specific server to begin with, for example, and you can even create your own.

How to sign up

Getting an account started on Mastodon is simple. After clicking "Get Started," the app asks users to pick servers that they'd like to join. Although Mastodon has been around for more than six years, as of now, the user base is quite small compared to the larger social media networks.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

---

You May Also Like

---

---

Credit: Chance Townsend / Mashable Credit: Chance Townsend / Mashable

After picking an instance you'd like to join, you then create a username. Usernames function like email addresses, specific to whichever instance you joined. It's formatted as such:

@[Username]@[MastodonInstance.Domain]

---

Related Stories

---

• Twitter 'X' renaming gathers the internet to warm itself around the garbage fire
• Twitter's bird logo is dead, replaced by X
• Twitter scraps press email's auto-reply poop emoji
• This is how you lose the Threads-Twitter war
• Musk admits Twitter cash flow is still negative, lost 50% of ad revenue

And just like that, you're done. All you have to do is create your first post and you've officially made the switch. See how easy that was?

Topics Social Media X/Twitter

• Life
• Science
• Social Good
• Games
• Deals
• Digital Culture
• Tech
• Shopping

• Today's Hurdle hints and answers for May 12, 2025
• A Slap in the Face of Stalinism by Alissa Valles
• 'Roblox' celebrates Christmas by bringing 'Elf' to life
• Staff Picks: Gossip, Ghosts, and Growth by The Paris Review
• Bargaining For the Common Good
• 'Roblox' celebrates Christmas by bringing 'Elf' to life
• They Think They Know You, Lionel Messi by Rowan Ricardo Phillips
• Staff Picks: Sex, Stand
• Gods of War
• Save on the Peloton bike and accessories at Amazon

• Welcome to New York, Taylor Swift exhibit. It's been waiting for you.
• Clinton insists background checks don't conflict with Second Amendment
• Poignant stories of childhood trauma take center stage in bold new video campaign
• Malaysia orders Auntie Anne's to rename hot dogs, in case people think they contain dog meat
• This is what democracy looks like at 36,000 feet
• Someone turned Trump's 'nasty woman' line into a way to help Hillary Clinton
• 90% of Apple chargers sold on Amazon could be counterfeit, Apple says in lawsuit
• Woman gets chemo treatment, promptly slays joyful choreography
• Europe's Mars lander is lost on the red planet
• This case turns your iPhone into a burned Galaxy Note7

• Gods of War
• Who Are the Hanged Men? by Kara Walker
• Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds deal: Save $50 at Amazon
• 'Saltburn' seduces us with '00s nostalgia. Why does it affect us so much?
• Commissioning Misleading Core i9
• The Artist’s Hypothesis by The Paris Review
• TikTok desktop is new and improved
• 'Roblox' celebrates Christmas by bringing 'Elf' to life
• Exceptionally rare radio sources detected in the distant universe
• Comics as Poetry by Ivan Brunetti

• Best Kindle Unlimited deal: Get 3 months of Kindle Unlimited for 99 cents
• Staff Picks: Diamonds, Dionysus, and Drowning by The Paris Review
• Our favorite TikTokkers of 2023: Francesca Scorsese, Meatdad, and more
• Literary Paper Dolls: Sula by Julia Berick and Jenny Kroik
• Best JBL deal: Save $80 on JBL Xtreme 4 portable speaker
• The Other Billy Collins by Anthony Madrid
• Announcing Our New Publisher, Mona Simpson by The Paris Review
• The Upside of ‘Brandenburg v. Ohio’
• Anker raises Amazon prices amid US tariffs
• Promiscuity Is a Virtue: An Interview with Garth Greenwell by Ilya Kaminsky