From MySpace to Facebook to Twitter - Is Mastodon the next big thing?

First there was MySpace. 

Enterprising individuals have pioneered the idea of an online social networking website for 30 odd years, with obscure platforms such as LunarStorm and Six Degrees launching to modest reception in the mid-1990s, but none took root and resonated with people the way MySpace did in 2003.  

Arguably the original popular social networking website, it was originally founded for aspiring artists to share music and music-related information with people all over the world. However, like many of its successors, it quickly evolved and lured people in with attractive profile customisation and coding options, creating a community hub for internet-enthusiasts seeking connection.  

The digital neighbourhood was born. 

Unfortunately for MySpace, the website's popularity reached its peak a few short years after being bought for over half a billion dollars in 2005. Other social media platforms emerged during this time with fun new features such as Facebook's 'Wall' and Bebo's 'other half' gaining traction among those seeking something new. 

By the time 2009 arrived, the first great exodus of social media users had begun with millions of former MySpace fans choosing Facebook as their new online home. 

With just shy of 3 billion global active users as of the third quarter of 2022, according to DataReportal, Facebook is by far the most popular social media platform in history, with no other site coming close to its popularity despite claims to the contrary. 

Launched under the name 'Facemash' and 'The Facebook' before dropping 'The' in 2005 and becoming the internet heavyweight we know it as today, Facebook still reigns supreme online in 2022 and remains a household name. A behind-the-scenes look into the controversial creation of the company was even fictionalised in the 2010 film, The Social Network. 

Despite its undisputed popularity, speculation of another mass exodus has been rife for years since the growth of Twitter from small beginnings in 2006 (with an average of 300,000 tweets per day by the year 2008) to its rapidly expanding userbase by 2010 (an average of 50 million tweets per day). 

Twitter currently has approximately 400 million users, and although it may be commonly cited as one of the top social media platforms, its popularity is not as strong as the likes of YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram or TikTok, which all boast larger user bases. 

Internal Twitter research seen by Reuters in April 2022 reportedly revealed a decline in "vital" active users on the platform. 

According to Reuters, these users account for less than 10% of monthly overall users but generate 90% of all tweets and half of global revenue. 

Despite this, the world's richest man Elon Musk offered to buy Twitter for $43billion in April 2022. 

An offer of $44billion was accepted by Twitter's board despite initially refusing, however the deal was delayed as Musk attempted to back out just weeks later citing concern over spam accounts. 

Twitter ultimately sued to force completion of the deal and Musk became the new owner and CEO in October 2022.

One of his first acts as owner was firing several top executives including the previous CEO, Parag Agrawal, and proposing reforms including the creation of a content moderation council to handle free speech issues, and a subscription service for blue-tick accounts. 

Regarding Twitter’s reduction in force, unfortunately there is no choice when the company is losing over $4M/day.

Everyone exited was offered 3 months of severance, which is 50% more than legally required.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 4, 2022

Half of the company's workforce has reportedly been laid off in the last week, with Musk stating he had "no choice when the company is losing over $4m per day". In a tweet posted on his official Twitter account on November 4 2022, he said, "Everyone exited was offered 3 months of severance, which is 50% more than legally required." 

However, reports of the sacking of Twitter's human rights team in particular has been met with condemnation, notably by the United Nations (UN). 

Yesterday was my last day at Twitter: the entire Human Rights team has been cut from the company.

I am enormously proud of the work we did to implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business & Human Rights, to protect those at-risk in global conflicts & crises including Ethiopia,

— Shannon Raj Singh (@ShannonRSingh) November 4, 2022

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, issued an open letter to Musk on Saturday November 5 urging him to "ensure human rights are central to the management of Twitter" under his leadership.

In the letter, he stated free speech is "not a free pass" and insisted Twitter must "avoid amplifying content that results in harm to other people's rights". 

He also said, "There is no place for hatred that incites discrimination, hostility or violence on Twitter: Spread of hate speech on social media has had horrific consequences for thousands. Twitter’s content moderation policies should continue to bar such hatred on the platform. Every effort needs to be made to remove such content promptly. 

"Human rights law is clear – freedom of expression stops at hatred that incites discrimination, hostility or violence." 

Since the buyout, Musk has inflamed some Twitter users with his goal of focusing on free speech, which some have claimed will empower those who spread misinformation and hate speech. Several well-known users, including Shonda Rhimes and Téa Leoni, have announced their intention to leave the platform, while others have committed to stay. 

Despite the threat of another possible social media exodus, Musk reiterated his desire for Twitter to become "by far the most accurate source of information about the world" in a tweet published yesterday (November 7). 

"That’s our mission," he tweeted. 

Following layoffs, Twitter founder Jack Dorsey stated: "Folks at Twitter past and present are strong and resilient. They will always find a way no matter how difficult the moment. I realize many are angry with me. I own the responsibility for why everyone is in this situation: I grew the company size too quickly. I apologize for that. 

"I am grateful for, and love, everyone who has ever worked on Twitter. I don't expect that to be mutual in this moment...or ever…and I understand." 

Folks at Twitter past and present are strong and resilient. They will always find a way no matter how difficult the moment. I realize many are angry with me. I own the responsibility for why everyone is in this situation: I grew the company size too quickly. I apologize for that.

— jack (@jack) November 5, 2022

Musk's decision making - particularly his choice to let go of 50% of Twitter's workforce - has also come under fire in Ireland, the European headquarters for the company. 

According to Breaking News, 500 employees worked at the Twitter office in Dublin before Musk's takeover, with several politicians including Minister for Public Expenditure Michael McGrath and Tánaiste Leo Varadkar calling for clarity on the situation. 

So where does Mastodon fit into all this? 

For the last two weeks the company has been trending as people seek an alternative to a Musk-led Twitter. Mastodon's familiar interface and timeline of chronological posts is appealing to those wishing to complete a seamless transition from one platform to another. 

The company is a federating social network made up of multiple servers called "instances", which are created specifically for certain communities and dedicated to various interests, knowledge and activities. 

People are free to host their own server or join one with agreeable rules. 

According to the Mastodon website, the company is a non-profit from Germany which launched in 2016 as an open-source project by Eugen Rochko due to his dissatisfction with the state and direction of Twitter. 

The mission statement on the site header reads: "Social networking that's not for sale. Your home feed should be filled with what matters to you most, not what a corporation thinks you should see. Radically different social media, back in the hands of the people." 

The site espouses to put decision making back into the hands of the people, with each server creating its own rules and regulations which are enforced locally rather than from the top-down by corporate social media companies. 

Is it the next big thing? 

Few could have predicted the drop-off in popularity of some of the internet's biggest platforms. Remember the short-form video platform, Vine? Funnily enough, it was bought and launched by Twitter in 2013 a whole three years before TikTok exploded onto the scene, but failed to capitalise on its popularity. 

Whether Mastodon will be the new Twitter is difficult to tell, even for people closely affiliated with the tech giant. Although it appears some would like Twitter to fail, others are willing to go down with the ship if necessary. However, according to a company document obtained by The Verge, fears about Twitter's demise may be premature. 

Twitter's daily user growth hit "all-time highs" during the first full week of Elon Musk owning the platform, with the company's monetizable daily user (mDAU) growth accelerating to more than 20%. 

Twitter founder, Jack Dorsey, called the death of Vine his "biggest regret". 

Perhaps by this time next year, it will be his second biggest.