Twitter’s rival Mastodon has increased eight times in size since Elon Musk took over Twitter. The social media platform has reached 2.5 million users from just 30,000 in October. The reason for the platform’s popularity is Elon Musk’s reforms that have taken the world by storm and have resulted in eminent people leaving the platform. Mastodon CEO, Eugen Lochko, said, “We are excited to see Mastodon grow and become a household name in newsrooms across the world, and we are committed to continuing to improve our software to face up to new challenges that come with rapid growth and increasing demand.”
Mastodon Growth Comes On the Heels of Musk’s Controversial Policies
Mastodon has become one of the most trending apps on the Google Play store and Appstore, securing 8th and 11th position respectively. Elon Musk’s ongoing antics appear to be helping Mastodon sustain that growth; the app has been around for six years, but it hasn’t come to the limelight before Musk’s takeover.
Elon Musk’s reforms have stirred mixed emotions amongst users; from mass layoffs to the blue tick verification facade, users believe that Musk suppressed his free speech policies. The recent ban on journalists has proved to be the last nail in the coffin, as most international publications now stand against Elon’s moves.
Banning the Promotion of Other Social Media Platforms
To counter Mastodon’s popularity, Musk has put a ban on sharing links of other social media platforms on Twitter, abandoning his commitment to free speech. In this regard, Rochko said, “Understanding that freedom of the press is absolutely essential for a functional democracy, we are excited to see Mastodon grow and become a household name in newsrooms across the world, and we are committed to continuing to improve our software to face up to new challenges that come with rapid growth and increasing demand.”
Also read: EU Threatens Sanctions as Twitter Ban Journalists
