Mastodon: From Quiet Year to Explosive Growth

Mastodon is a rising force in social media and has undergone a remarkable evolution in recent years. In mid-2023, while compiling their annual report, Mastodon showed a transformative year in 2022. Initially a quiet year, Mastodon’s trajectory shifted dramatically in October, triggered by upheaval in a major competitor. A surge in users, from 200K to 2.5M, compelled the small team to improve onboarding substantially. The surge in users also led to increased donations, providing financial stability for expanding the team and improving infrastructure to meet growing demand in 2023.

In 2022, Mastodon’s donations surged impressively to €325.9K, marking a remarkable 488% increase from the previous fiscal year. The influx of contributions, predominantly in the form of annual pledges on Patreon during October, significantly bolstered the upcoming year’s budget. This surge was mirrored in the growth of the donor base, reaching 9,603 patrons via Patreon and 53 subscriptions via a custom sponsorship portal. Moreover, operating expenses rose to €127.1K, highlighting the necessary investments to accommodate the platform’s growth.

Source: Mastodon

Mastodon undergoes a significant brand update:

• They are embracing a vibrant purple color to distinguish themselves from blue-dominated competitors.
• The logo retains its shape with refined precision.
• Development focuses on mobile apps, onboarding, and backend modifications to support new experiences.
• Measures to combat spam and improve automation for server operators are implemented.
• The new admin dashboard provides insightful server analytics.
• The web app is reworked for public access and consolidated information.
• Integrating about and privacy policy pages enhances the app’s usability and clarity.

In 2022, Mastodon prioritized software development, enhancing multilingual abilities and post-editing features by manually selecting languages and enabling automatic translation options to replace language detection. Notably, users gained the ability to edit posts, augmenting content accuracy and engagement. The platform also introduced hashtag following and revamped phrase filtering for better control over feed content. The iOS app received nine updates, garnering over 2 million downloads, while an official Android app achieved feature parity, boasting efficiency with lightweight design and key functionalities. Various improvements include:

• Translate buttons
• Hashtag following
• Link previews
• Enhanced media upload features.

Moreover, Mastodon witnessed substantial growth last year, with registered users surging from 2.7 million to 5.8 million. Monthly active users reached 1.8 million by year-end. Legal efforts focused on trademark policies and registrations to protect the Mastodon identity. Additionally, Mastodon gGmbH handled 15,237 reports and suspended 66,637 local accounts, further solidifying the platform’s position as a prominent player in decentralized social networking.

The company’s primary goals included improving organizational efficiency, expanding key roles, setting up a U.S. non-profit branch, and launching merchandise for community support. Additionally, they aimed to foster communication with developers and strengthen moderation tools to combat spam and abuse in line with development objectives.

Source: Mastodon