While mainstream social media burns around us, alternative platforms are growing in popularity, although not as much as some have predicted. While Mastodon has, at the time of writing, added a million new users, I doubt most will stick around and brands certainly aren’t going to set up home there.
There is currently no paid advertising option, and without centralised reach, most advertisers won’t bother having a brand account. This, of course, is one of the points of Mastodon – separate servers and communities for separate interests. Quality over quantity. Reach is achieved on merit. That’s almost the opposite of Twitter.
However, it’s precisely that type of niche community potential, with its in-jokes and tribalism, that attracts those of us who have always lived on the social margins. Nerds, geeks,…
