Hi there,

I am quite happy how Twitter/X has changed for the better, but i want to keep up with technology, not stay in my bubble only and at least also have an account with Mastodon.
Am i right, that each server can have its own set of rules
and that you could be canceled by your server admin if they think you promote what they understand as hatespeech etc?

So, if thats right, i would need to find a server that is pro free speech, no matter what political view someone has. And does accept everything that is not against the law, even bad humor etc. basically like DOVEnet ;)

Or am i completely wrong and it does not matter at all what Mastodon Server to choose? What is the server i am looking for?

btw: how does that work in Mastodon. What would happen if a Server goes offline? Do you loose your account then?

Mindsurfer

PS: i don't think that i want to selfhost a Mastodon Server

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Re: Mastodon - wich server to
By: Mindsurfer to MRO on Mon Dec 29 2025 09:25 pm

i asked AI about Mastodon and one odd point was that it is anti-viral. I thought certain topics going viral is one of the selling points of social media.

When it said it's anti-viral, does that mean in the sense of preventing computer viruses?

Nightfox

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Re: Mastodon - wich server to
By: Nightfox to Mindsurfer on Mon Dec 29 2025 14:42:43

i asked AI about Mastodon and one odd point was that it is anti-viral. I
thought certain topics going viral is one of the selling points of social
media.

When it said it's anti-viral, does that mean in the sense of preventing computer viruses?

Exactly. You can disable any Anti-Virus software when using Mastodon.

Or it is anti-viral in the sense that a post on Mastodon does not spread rapidly among a large number of users through an algorithm.

Mindsurfer


BraveAI:

Mastodon is explicitly designed as an anti-viral and anti-algorithmic social network, prioritizing user control and genuine interaction over virality and algorithmic manipulation.
Unlike platforms such as Twitter or Facebook, Mastodon does not use algorithms to curate or prioritize content in users' timelines.
Instead, the home timeline is a simple, chronological feed of posts from accounts a user follows, ensuring that content visibility depends solely on direct engagement rather than algorithmic amplification.
This design choice means that posts are not resurfaced days later, and users must actively engage with their audience at optimal times to be seen.

The platform's anti-viral nature is intentional, as it was engineered to create friction and slow down the rapid spread of content, which contrasts with the velocity-driven culture of mainstream social media.
This approach discourages outrage-based virality and reduces the pressure to post frequently or chase trends, fostering more thoughtful and nuanced discussions.
The absence of algorithmic curation also means that likes, boosts (retweets), and other engagement metrics do not influence what appears in a user's feed, and many servers do not even display these counts to avoid promoting popularity-driven behavior.

Furthermore, Mastodon's decentralized architecture, where each independent server (instance) sets its own rules and moderation policies, supports a community-driven approach to content management.
This contrasts with centralized platforms that rely on automated filters and corporate moderation, which can prioritize advertiser-friendly content over civil discourse.
While the platform does not use algorithms to push content, users can still customize their experience through features like keyword filters, content warnings, and the ability to mute or block accounts, giving them significant control over their timelines.

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Re: Mastodon - wich server to
By: Mindsurfer to Nightfox on Tue Dec 30 2025 12:53 am

When it said it's anti-viral, does that mean in the sense of preventing
computer viruses?

Exactly. You can disable any Anti-Virus software when using Mastodon.

Or it is anti-viral in the sense that a post on Mastodon does not spread rapidly among a large number of users through an algorithm.

I've never heard "anti-viral" refer to preventing things from going viral online. I've always heard the phrase "anti-viral" (or "anti-virus") referring to getting rid of or preventing computer viruses.

Nightfox

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Re: Mastodon - wich server to
By: Mindsurfer to All on Mon Dec 29 2025 01:36 pm

Am i right, that each server can have its own set of rules and that you could be canceled by your server admin if they think you promote what they understand as hatespeech etc?

Since Mastadon is a "federation" basically whats happening is that every server has their own rules, and the funny thing, if server you decide to join is "pro-freespeech" then other servers can just block trafic from and to it.

A ton of bullshit if you ask me, and one helluva waste time and effort. Creators of mastadon actually looked at Twitter, saw a burning dumpster and decided "yeah we are going to copy every aspect of this". Same for blusky.

I have a feeling those felas have like zero clue, they keey creating tumbler No2, No3, No4, How many Tumblers can we have? when will it stop.

I am quite happy how Twitter/X has changed for the better

Amazingly Twitter is actually somewhat tolerable place now, atleast shit thats happening in it now doesnt fly war enough to reach other plaforms.
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Re: Mastodon - wich server to
By: Adovka to Mindsurfer on Wed Jan 14 2026 16:33:28

Since Mastadon is a "federation" basically whats happening is that every server has their own rules, and the funny thing, if server you decide to join is "pro-freespeech" then other servers can just block trafic from and to it.

A ton of bullshit if you ask me, and one helluva waste time and effort. Creators of mastadon actually looked at Twitter, saw a burning dumpster and decided "yeah we are going to copy every aspect of this". Same for blusky.

I have a feeling those felas have like zero clue, they keey creating tumbler No2, No3, No4, How many Tumblers can we have? when will it stop.

Well, a network of islands and each island with its own rules. That seems to be mastodon.

I like X so far. It is the most "free" platform as far as the local laws allow. But sure, things could change and it is completely centralised.

What i have as a backup would be nostr (using amethyst as a client). Not sure how far censorship resistance goes there. I think on the relay level, there could be a similar level of censorship. But you can't be really banned, as you could connect to an infinite number of relays with your client. Each existing relay would have to filter your messages to censor you globally.

Usually the network with the most users "wins".

Mindsurfer

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Re: Mastodon - wich server to
By: Mindsurfer to Adovka on Thu Jan 15 2026 01:13 am

I like X so far. It is the most "free" platform as far as the local laws allow. But sure, things could change and it is completely centralised.

True, so much censorship happens nowadays that i start to look at stuff like i2p cuz soon i might have to use that, otherwise "8 years in jail for R-slur" or smth like that might happen.

Twitter under Elon is holding its place as a rather free-speech platform, not your common *Chan but still pretty good.

so after the liberals and bots left twitter they created a new echo chamber.

Yes, basically. I empathize with "Tumblr-Folk" a little more than any sane person should do, cuz they create good artworks from time to time, but after 2018 they become rather Tumblr-Gypsies, getting themself into every platform and forcing everyone to fit their "moral high-ground". It was good when they were contained on Tumblr, it was not good when they moved to Twitter, that was, if i remember correctly, typical milenial platform like instagramm before Tumbler-Gypsies came, and now since Twitter is now unsatisfactory place for the worst of that folk, they start to move to other platforms yet again.

In a good universe, those people would be still contained in Tumblr, doing what they want without annoying others.

or mayhaps its imature for me to think in that logic.
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Adovka wrote to Mindsurfer <=-

Am i right, that each server can have its own set of rules and that you could be canceled by your server admin if they think you promote what they understand as hatespeech etc?

Since Mastadon is a "federation" basically whats happening is that
every server has their own rules, and the funny thing, if server you decide to join is "pro-freespeech" then other servers can just block trafic from and to it.

True, but you can also find a local server that serves an interest and
find local people to talk and share with.

I'm on tilde.zone, a mastodon server that caters to tilde users (tildes
are single-box online communities that offer some combination of shell
access, email, news, local BBSes, html, gopher and gemini space, and
more...)

A ton of bullshit if you ask me, and one helluva waste time and effort. Creators of mastadon actually looked at Twitter, saw a burning dumpster and decided "yeah we are going to copy every aspect of this". Same for blusky.

I have a feeling those felas have like zero clue, they keey creating tumbler No2, No3, No4, How many Tumblers can we have? when will it
stop.

I am quite happy how Twitter/X has changed for the better

Amazingly Twitter is actually somewhat tolerable place now, atleast
shit thats happening in it now doesnt fly war enough to reach other plaforms. ---
Synchronet Aneto

--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
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Adovka wrote to Mindsurfer <=-

Twitter under Elon is holding its place as a rather free-speech
platform, not your common *Chan but still pretty good.

How does anyone know how the algorithm is bending perception of
people's posts?

I want a social network that shows a chronological list of posts from
people I choose to follow. Is that so hard?




--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
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Re: Mastodon - wich server to
By: Mindsurfer to Adovka on Thu Jan 15 2026 01:13 am

Well, a network of islands and each island with its own rules. That seems to be mastodon.

Likes BBSes! :-)
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Synchronet/BBS Terminology Definition #46:
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Re: Mastodon - wich server to
By: Digital Man to Mindsurfer on Sat Jan 17 2026 14:15:04

Well, a network of islands and each island with its own rules. That seems
to be mastodon.

Likes BBSes! :-)

i knew it sounds familar =)

Mindsurfer

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Hello DM!

** On Saturday 17.01.26 - 14:15, you wrote to Mindsurfer:

Well, a network of islands and each island with its own rules. That seems
to be mastodon.

Likes BBSes! :-)

But.. echomail/message networks can unify.


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Re: Mastodon - wich server to
By: Adovka to Mindsurfer on Wed Jan 14 2026 04:33 pm

Since Mastadon is a "federation" basically whats happening is that every server has their own rules, and the funny thing, if server you decide to join is "pro-freespeech" then other servers can just block trafic from and to it.

My understanding is that the guys behind Mastodon created it because they regarded Tweeter as too permissive regarding "nazies" back then, therefore they though an alternative platform was needed.

The Fediverse is neat as a concept but there are too many morons running it.

It is intended to work as a federation, like you described, but the software guys behind it really, really want their political opponents out of the race, so there is a lot of preasure in the software stack itself in order to root uncensored servers out. This is the reason why you see so many Mastodont clients include hardcoded lists of servers they are not programmed to interact with, for example.

Such a shame, but certainly not unexpected.


--
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