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.