I don't think Mastodon should be a 1:1 replacement for Twitter.

It's cool that, for so many people, Mastodon actually does replace Twitter.

It replaces Twitter for me, in fact.

What makes Mastodon a *good* Twitter replacement for me is that Mastodon can do things that Twitter doesn't. Example: auto-delete my posts.

It also doesn't do what Twitter does. Example: sort your home feed with a blackbox "relevancy" algorithm.

Mastodon should *not* be targeting the "average Joe" Twitter user.

The biggest reason: "Average Joe" does not exist. I've spoken elsewhere about why:

https://mastodon.social/@atomicpoet/109794718506171246

But another way of phrasing this: when you make an app for everyone, you make an app for no one.

It's fine if someone looks at Mastodon, and goes, "I hate that this isn't one singular site like Twitter."

That's okay. Mastodon doesn't have to cater to people that desire a walled garden experience.

What I especially desire is for Mastodon to validate the notion of decentralized social media.

Which it's beginning to do.

And then when everyone builds a social media platform, they start thinking to themselves, "Maybe we should integrate ActivityPub."

Thereafter, ActivityPub goes mainstream. And soon ActivityPub becomes a prime consideration for any web dev project.

That's what I want.

What I also want is for developers to think, "I can make something better than Mastodon!"

Then they get off their asses and do it.

Let them get competitive.

Something people often ask me, "What if the Fediverse becomes the Linux of social media? Wouldn't that be terrible?"

No, that would be incredible: Linux dominates almost EVERYTHING.

That is: the router, the TV, the smartphone, the car, the refrigerator.

Even Windows integrates a Linux subsystem nowadays.

If the Fediverse became the "Linux of social media", that would make it the most important social media ecosystem ever created.

Devs generally have to stop being myopic about the Fediverse.

Multiple protocols and platforms and clients should exist.

This is bigger than a "Twitter replacement".

With a little imagination, this could be bigger than the web itself.

Think about how ActivityPub can apply to creative collaboration, gaming, commerce, and leisure.

Endless possibilities, and people already want to re-centralize.

Hell, no! Let's instead explore all the possibilities.

Big Social is weak right now:

1. Twitter is in upheaval, and just killed its free API
2. Meta is putting all its focus on the Metaverse, a venture that probably won't pan out
3. TikTok may be banned in the USA
4. Snapchat has become a haven for pedophiles and fentanyl dealers

With all this upheaval, it's worth considering how we can make a *better*, more human-centric form of social media.

For me, decentralization is the *bare minimum* of any social media platform.

I don't want to shoot for the bare minimum. I want something that greatly exceeds it.

To wit, I want decentralized social media that prizes human-to-human connections above all else.

Less relevancy algorithms. Less bots. Less automation.

Any surveillance capitalism isn't even worth considering.