Mastodon hasn’t built on the initial hype, and it faces an uphill battle to compete with the X. Here are six reasons why it may continue to fall behind.
quick path
Mastodon failed to attract the masses
Casual users often find Mastodon difficult to use
Twitter is well established
Mastodon’s business model may not be enough to compete with X
Mastodon’s growth has slowed down
Users sometimes have to wait to join a Mastodon instance
Main lesson
Mastodon has some decent features, but it’s too technical for many users to consider using.
Limited servers and resources may prevent Mastodon from overtaking X.
Twitter’s brand is established, which means it’s harder for new market entrants to change consumer behavior.
Despite a lot of hype in 2022 and 2023, Mastodon still managed to replace X as the main microblogging platform of the Internet. Here are six key reasons why open source platforms may have difficulty dethroning X.
1 Mastodon has not yet attracted the masses
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Arguably the biggest advantage of X is that it appeals to the masses. You’ll find all kinds of people on the platform, from niche interests to friends and family in your local area. Similarly, many users who want to sign up for a short-form text platform will initially think of X and are more likely to create an account.
If Mastodon wants to replace X in the long term, it needs to appeal to a wider audience. For example, most ordinary people do not pay much attention to whether a platform is centralized or decentralized, nor do they understand the benefits or characteristics of a good open source project. They simply want interesting followers and a product that meets their needs, whether it’s closed source or not.
Some users may feel that Mastodon is not much different from X and therefore see no point in moving their profile (although cross-posting between X and Mastodon is possible). If you want to learn more about these platforms, you can check out our guide on whether Mastodon is a viable X alternative.
2 Casual users often find Mastodon difficult to use
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One reason why many people leave Mastodon after joining is because many casual users find the platform difficult to use. For example, one user on Reddit criticized how difficult the initial setup phase was and how they had to research what the server was before they could use the account as desired.
While those interested in technology and Web3 may be interested in joining and creating a server, most social network users will not take the extra time to further research these and other topics. similar topic. Mastodon has made it easier to sign up for an account via mastodon.social, but the need to join a specific server in the first place can frustrate users.
The barrier to entry when you join X is very low; Once you have signed up for an account, you can follow anyone you want. Since people generally prefer the path of least resistance, signing up for X will attract more users who just want to experience social networking.
If you still decide you want to use Mastodon, you can check out this guide on how to sign up for a Mastodon account.
3 Twitter is well established
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Innovation is important in every industry and there is always room for a new platform to change things. TikTok is a prime example. However, changing consumer behavior and preferences is challenging. The fact that the Twitter brand is so famous means that Mastodon faces more difficulties if it wants to replace X.
X is the meeting point of many different industries. For example, journalists and news media organizations often rely on the platform to share stories and quickly provide information to their audiences. The same goes for many politicians, and X is also the ideal meeting place to connect with various key figures in the technology sector.
If we review why TikTok is successful and Vine is not, the app has more attractive features like different in-app creation tools and monetization capabilities. While things may change, Mastodon does not have the universal features that would convince many other industries and sectors to migrate away from a well-established platform.
4 Mastodon’s business model may not be enough to compete with X
Mastodon and X have two very different business models. X generates revenue through advertising and paid subscriptions, while data licensing is another source of revenue for the company.
On the other hand, Mastodon has chosen to avoid placing ads on its platform and is a non-profit company. Instead, Mastodon relies heavily on donations. According to its 2022 financial report, the company received more than $300,000 in donations in 2022. Other ways Mastodon makes money include sponsorships, Patreon, and server-related subscriptions.
While Mastodon has a diversified business model and the potential for long-term success, competing with a company of X size is challenging without significant resources. If Mastodon chooses to keep its platform ad-free, it will need to think about how to market existing revenue streams and potentially create new revenue streams.
5 Mastodon’s growth has slowed down
Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter in 2022 made many users think of Mastodon as an alternative. According to a Guardian report, the number of active users of this social media network increased from 500,000 to nearly 2 million between October and mid-November that year. And in December, the number of active users surpassed 2.5 million.
But that initial growth was never likely to be sustainable, and Mastodon’s growth rate has slowed significantly since that high. As the same Guardian article mentioned, Mastodon’s active user count dropped below two million in early 2023.
Although X’s monthly active users have decreased year-on-year since 2022, the platform still has a significant user base. According to Statista, the app has 335.7 million monthly active users by 2024.
For Mastodon to replace X, it needs to show growth by the end of 2022 over a sustained period. Considering that the platform also currently has to compete with Threads, this is highly unlikely. If you decide you want to try Instagram’s Twitter alternative, check out these things to keep in mind before signing up for Topics.
6 users sometimes have to wait to join a Mastodon instance
Waiting times vary by version (Mastodon server name) and you do not need to wait before joining all of them. However, the fact that you don’t always get instant access highlights another layer of friction that will frustrate many casual users looking for an X alternative.
Aside from needing to wait for someone to accept a friend or follow a request, viewing other people’s content and connecting with them is instant on most other social media platforms. If users need to wait to join the server they want to join, there are only so many scenarios that can happen before they look elsewhere.
While Mastodon is an interesting open source alternative to X, it still has a long way to go before it can fully compete with the platform. Different business models will make it more difficult to gather the resources needed for significant growth, and the resistance level of most ordinary social media users to participating is also too high.
If Mastodon can solve these problems while staying true to its brand and offering something unique that X or Threads can’t then it has the potential to be successful. But currently, X’s biggest threat is probably Threads.
Categories: Tips & Tricks
Source: c3kienthuyhp.edu.vn
