Mastodon, the open-source social network created by a German developer, has been regarded as an alternative to Twitter following Elon Musk's controversial purchase of the platform.
Mastadon is a decentralised platform, meaning no single individual or organisation owns or regulates it, similar to cryptocurrencies.
This is exactly the open-source ecosystem billionaire Mr Musk envisions for Twitter, which he recently acquired in a $44 billion deal.
The site has received tens of thousands of new users in recent days, as Mr Musk's handling of his Twitter ownership hasn't gone down well with some users..
The founder and chief executive of Tesla and rocket company SpaceX has always said that Twitter does not offer a platform for free speech.
He previously tweeted: “I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means.”
Mastodon also advocates free speech and goes a step further by leaving the management of the platform in the hands of its users.
Are decentralised microblogging sites such as Mastodon new?
Decentralised, free-to-all microblogging sites are not new. Mastodon was created in 2016 by Eugen Rochko after he shared a gripe similar to that made by Mr Musk: corporations that own a social media platform take independent business-driven decisions that have an effect on users, who have no say in the matter most of the time.
The welcome note on the desktop version of the site says: "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."
Things are gradually changing. Facebook tried to force its WhatsApp users to consent to sharing their personal data with the company's other platforms in early 2021.
The move prompted a swift backlash, with threats of mass boycotts forcing the company, now known as Meta Platforms, to backtrack on the move.
Then, after the Facebook network went down for six hours in October 2021 ― affecting Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram ― several users went looking for alternatives.
The biggest beneficiary was Telegram, the messaging app created by Russian developer Pavel Durov, which welcomed about 70 million users the day Facebook went dark.
Mastadon has already started to welcome a potential retreat from Twitter. On the day Mr Musk announced his purchase agreement, about 30,000 users joined the platform, said Mr Rochko.
It added a further 230,000 after the completion of Mr Musk's deal, taking its user total to about 655,000. Twitter has about 237 million active daily users.
Built by Mr Rochko when he was a 24-year-old college student six years ago using donations from Patreon supporters who shared a similar interest about having an alternative to Twitter, Mastodon was named after the extinct animal.
The messages posted on it are called “toots”, a counter to Twitter’s tweets.
How do you use Mastodon?
Firstly, it is worth noting that Mastodon is free to use and does not have adverts.
For those accustomed to social media, the usual first steps for new users are to sign up, set up a profile and add a picture before you can start using the app. With Mastodon, there is an extra step.
Even before signing up, you need to pick a server, each representing a specific interest or group. It is unclear if the options presented have region-specific algorithms but during a trial by The National, server topics ranged from social responsibility, climate, journalism and gender issues to music, art, games, food and technology.
Some options are empty, including journalism, academia, food and furry ― an apparent reference to pets or animals.
You can also find country-specific servers, groups that are in German, Korean and Japanese languages, and one for a "predominantly English-speaking community". There is also one group dedicated to the Pokemon community.
Once a server has been selected and the other formalities are done, you can start using the app. Mastodon has no fees or advertisements, publishes only what a user chooses and the only feeds that show up are what a user decides on.
Each server also has its own regulations and moderators, with some explicit "ground rules" enforced.
However, while each of the servers have their own moderation rules, some are without any.
Moderation has been one of the biggest concerns around Mr Musk's tenure as Twitter owner. Twitter staff said the content curation, product and moderation teams were hit by job cuts in the past week, and it is unclear how addressing misinformation may change with a smaller team.
The caveat is you can only be on one server at a time. If you decide to switch to another ― or if that domain shuts down ― you can do it on the app's settings. The process is easy, and you'll be able to take your followers with you and retain other settings, such as lists containing muted and blocked accounts.
Mastadon is not the only decentralised alternative ― there is Minds for Facebook, Pixelfed for Instagram, Aether for Reddit and Dtube for YouTube, among others ― but Mr Musk's acquisition of Twitter could add a social media major to the mix.
Are there any other benefits to using Mastodon over Twitter?
Mastodon of course believes so. It has issued the following list of benfits:
- Edit button
- Server-custom emoticons
- Auto-delete posts option
- Extended notification bar
- 500 character limit
- Advanced post filter system
- Content warnings
It has also been taking a few swipes at Twitter and Mr Musk's running of it — in particular the verification system that will cost users $8 a month.
“Power to the people,” Twitter said in the version notes for its latest update that was released on Saturday. “Your account will get a blue checkmark, just like the celebrities, companies, and politicians you already follow.”
But Mastodon has hit back, tweeting you can verify yourself, by yourself, for free on its platform "... because the point of verification should be about actually verifying who you are, not about paying for fancy badge and utilising an algorithm to artificially inflate your social media clout".
Who is on Mastodon?
If you like Twitter for its celebrity drama, with Mr Musk himself causing quite a stir on an almost daily basis with his tweeting, then you might find Mastodon somewhat lacking.
Actor and comedian Kathy Griffin is on Mastodon and had her Twitter account suspended after making fake posts while impersonating Mr Musk.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
ETFs explained
Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
WITHIN%20SAND
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Moe%20Alatawi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Ra%E2%80%99ed%20Alshammari%2C%20Adwa%20Fahd%2C%20Muhand%20Alsaleh%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
Specs
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Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
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The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
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Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
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Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
