With the declining number of users on the mainstream social media platforms more and more people are starting to talk about Fediverse. You might have heard about it on the internet or your tech savvy friend. But what is it? This article will explain what Fediverse is and how it works.

What is “Fediverse”?

Fediverse – also known as ‘Fedi’ – is a mix of two words: federation and universe. So, what is it? It’s a collection of social media platforms that communicate with each other (federate one with another) using the same protocols. That means that people from one social media platform can interact with posts, photos and videos from other platforms that are the part of Fediverse.

The majority of Fediverse is based on free open-source programs. That means everyone can check and contribute to all of its code. Additionally, all social media platforms on the Fediverse are decentralized, ad-free and privacy focused. We will talk about it later in this article.

What should I use the Fediverse for?

If you want short answer, then I would say: “for everything you want”. But let’s get into some details. As mentioned earlier, Fediverse is a collection of social media platforms. Why is it important? Because it means that you can find a platform that will suit your needs the best.

Everything depends on what kind of content you want to publish. Fediverse has a lot of specialized platforms so you can choose from many options: micro blogging, event planning and aggregations, macro blogging, discussions (forums), image sharing, publishing or video and audio streaming. Fediverse has it all!

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Decentralized platforms

Fediverse is a decentralized platform. What does it mean? It means that it doesn’t have one owner or even a group of owners. It also means that the data is not being stored on one big server. Okay, but who does it belong to? The answer is simple. It belongs to you – the user. Everyone can create and manage their own instance (server) of the Fediverse using one of the many open-source platforms. Why is it relevant?

Every instance has its own rules, points of interest and capabilities. For example, you can be an artist. Great! You can find an instance that is focused on posting art! Let’s assume you have found a few instances that you’re interested in. Some of them have more restrictive rules, so you choose the ones that give you more freedom. You are left with two options. One of them allows you to post photos up to 10 MB and write the description of max 1024 characters. The other choice allows posting photos up to 25 MB, but only the descriptions of 256 characters. Now it’s up to you to choose what better suits your needs. And – again – this choice will not restrict people from viewing your art. Anything you post will be possible for find on other platforms, and users from all of Fediverse will be able to follow you. This is why people like this platform so much. It gives them the freedom to choose.

Ad-free and privacy focused

Most platforms on Fediverse are completely free from ads while also being free to use. They are being managed by enthusiasts that don’t seek big money, like the mainstream corporations. If you are sick of ads on your Instagram, Facebook or Twitter (X) timeline, then maybe you should think about migrating to one of the Fediverse platforms.

Many platforms are also very focused on user privacy. Instance owners don’t sell and share any of your information and you’re free to delete all of it at any moment. You can also download all of your information as a backup or when you want to change the instance to take your data with you.

I want to join Fediverse! Where do I start?

If you want to join the Fediverse, you should start with choosing the platform. With so many options it might seem overwhelming. But don’t worry, I have a few suggestions. Migrating to Fediverse will probably not be your first contact with social media platforms. In most cases you will be moving from one platform to another. On that case, there’s few options:

Those options are a great starting point as they have the already existing user space and mobile apps.

The process of making an account and learning how to use the platform might be hard for you. But you can always find documentation and tutorials online. You can also rely on other users. A lot of them will help you learn the basics and share some tricks with you.

My opinion on Fediverse

What’s my stand? I moved to Mastodon, which is a part of Fediverse in late 2023 and I cannot imagine going back. If you don’t have a big profile on the mainstream social media platforms, then you should move to Fediverse. The way posts are being distributed to users will make your posts reach more people instead of being stuck in the algorithm. You will also have more control over the content you want to see. For example, Mastodon offers the option to mute or block users, as well as setting a list of keywords that you don’t want to see on your timeline. For example, you don’t want to interact with the posts about politics. You can set it up in a way that will block you all the posts that mention politics or specific politicians.

From my experience I can also say that there’s way fewer toxic people and trolls on Fediverse. If you’re done with Twitter toxicity, then Fediverse is a perfect place for you. Joining Fediverse is easier than you might think. But that’s of course your decision. At least you know what it is now. And if you have any questions that I didn’t answer in this article, feel free to ask them in the comments.