Twitter is the topic of the day again and what am I going to scare you, brunette, it is because Elon Musk walked in with a sink under his arm As its new owner, the company’s offices were constantly flooded with news about the social network. For better or for worse, yes.

For the better, as things seem to be moving on Twitter, there is talk of future plans and the arrival of new and anticipated features that have been lying idle for months, if not years, or that were not company management. To make matters worse, for everything else, which is not a few: massive layoffs, lack of control, significant declines… And a lot of uncertainty.

Uncertainty This has caused Twitter to lose users, advertisers, and there are those who are predicting the end of the social network, although so far none of these factors, with the possible exception of advertising, seem to matter more than they would like. give Although several alternatives appear when things fail.

The latter includes Mastodon, an open source Twitter clone and federated model with a history behind it, but one that takes on special significance now that Twitter is not at its best. As of October 27th, around one million users would have joined Mastodon, as the project confirmed on November 12th… on its Twitter account.

As of October 27th, over 1 million people have joined Mastodon. Between that and those who reverted to their old accounts, the number of active users today has grown to more than 1.6 million, which for context is more than three times what it was at about two. weeks ago!

— Mastodon (@joinmastodon) November 12, 2022

So it can be assumed that there were many more users than before, during and after joined Mastodon… to stay there instead of on Twitter? That doesn’t seem clear at all. In any case, most people aren’t on Twitter to talk to their friends: the big accounts of personalities and organizations generate the most attention.

Let’s not forget how Twitter was born: as a platform quickly adopted by journalists from all over the world, later by personalities, institutions and companies… This is why Twitter is so relevant, even if it is not the most popular social network. You don’t have Facebook, Instagram or TikTok numbers, but Twitter is one of the world’s leading news sources.significantly above the previous ones.

On Twitter you can follow your favorite artists and brands, media, official organizations… Only Facebook is similar, although its background and appearance are so different that they are not a substitute. Without first attracting all representation, there is no alternative that can eclipse Twitter. This is why the appearance of the official Google account in Mastodon attracts attention.

No particularly relevant account, it should be noted: Google Search Liaisonwith presence On Twitter and now on Mastodon, it’s the official Google account dedicated to reporting on the inner workings of Google Search, the internet giant’s search engine. It’s not even clear if this move was a personal initiative of his manager, but it is.

For more information, Mastodon’s Google Search Liaison account was launched on November 5th and has since amassed nearly 1,400 followers and published three reports. Of the three messages, only one was also posted on Twitter, where they have nearly 150,000 followers. Reactions to this news are of course light years from one place to another.

But it is not necessary to delve further into the example because This is just a small example. about something that isn’t happening: that the Twitter giants are going Mastodon… with all the laws, needless to say. Opening an account on Mastodon and continuing on Twitter seems like nothing more than a somewhat hypocritical ploy, if not a cowardly one, speaking for large accounts that are at risk of losing many followers to another platform.

We recently told you how to escape from Twitter and its new owner with Mastodon, but also that Twitter and Mastodon are the same dog, with a different collar, a friendly opinion for those who are thinking of changing the current situation of the service, or your common problems. For regular Twitter users, Mastodon is not an alternative.

Second, It seems implausible that Elon Musk spent $44 billion to waste Twitter. She couldn’t change anything and do everything bit by bit without attracting attention the way she does, which has given rise to many brands as things that undoubtedly have something, but which run the risk of simplifying the complex.

The obvious fact that Elon Musk has very different traits, but also that he is one of the most successful businessmen in the world and pretends he got there like an idiot and is lucky says more about what he thinks about it than it does about Musk himself. . Even if Musk’s intention is to reduce Twitter to its basics in order to rise again. Something that can turn out well or not.