Twitter exodus: Is Mastodon a safer alternative for LGBTQ+ users?
Could Mastodon rival Twitter as a safer social media platform for the LGBTQ+ community? Millions flocked to the microblogging platform last year following tech entrepreneur Elon Musk’s $44 billion takeover of Twitter.
LGBTQ+ users raised particular concerns over Musk unpicking several of Twitter’s policies against hate speech and online harassment, while also reinstating users banned for sharing anti-LGBTQ+ views.
Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The changes in Twitter policy led to a flood of people seeking alternative social media, with many migrating to Mastodon.
Rather than being controlled by one authority or owner, Mastodon is a decentralised social media platform – in effect a constellation of small, independently-run sites that can interlink and share posts.
