An analysis of mastodon adoption dynamics based on instance types

Eduard Sabo*, Tim Gesthuizen, Kelvin J.A. Bouma, Dimka Karastoyanova, Mirela Riveni

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

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Abstract

Federated social networks have become an appealing choice as alternatives to mainstream centralized platforms. In the current global context, where the user’s activity on various social networks is monitored, influenced and manipulated, alternative platforms that offer the possibility of owning and controlling one’s own data are of great importance. Mastodon stands out among decentralized alternatives in the fediverse. In this study, we conduct a time-based dynamics analysis of various Mastodon instances, from popular ones to country-specific servers. Moreover, we conducted an analysis of registration account dynamics based on certain topics, such as academic, political and activism in general. Throughout the paper, we reveal the user adoption of Mastodon from multiple instances and metrics. Our results show a growth pattern of instances in terms of accounts in certain periods of time, and due to social events, reinforcing our assumption of it being already trusted as a decentralized platform. Our work holds significance in the wider context of studying and understanding the adoption rates of decentralized networks as ethical alternatives to centrally controlled ones.

Original languageEnglish
Article number184
Number of pages17
JournalSocial Network Analysis and Mining
Volume14
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec-2024

Keywords

  • Decentralized social networks
  • Decentralized systems
  • Mastodon
  • Privacy in networks
  • User adoption

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