Dear Fedi friends,

[mirou@mastodon.social]

@_elena et pour moi plus personnellement, c'est aussi de retrouver un réseau à l'ancienne, où l'on peut rencontrer (presque) réellement des gens, communiquer, échanger, sans se voir balancer des publications commerciales à tout bout de champ.

[menelion@dragonscave.space]

@_elena Des APIs ouverts et des flux chronologiques. En fait, la possibilité de créer des apps (clients) dédiées 100% accessibles pour les non-voyants est personnellement ma raison essentielle pour être ici.

[jhein@mastodon.social]

@_elena The ability to:

Filter my feed using keywords. Every platform needs this.

Cater my own feed to something meaningful and manageable instead of being at the whims of the slop algorithm.

The lack of ads and there being no incentives for them or any enshitification to be added in.

I can decide exactly what notifications I want or don't want, instead of having to choose between none or too many.

The privacy options are much stronger here than every other social media or content platform.

[emeline@piaille.fr]

@_elena Je pense savoir dans quel cadre tu interviens (l'annonce est publique sur... d'autres réseaux ) et je regrette infiniment ne pas pouvoir être disponible. Je me suis manifestée pour obtenir l'enregistrement.
J'ai hâte, mais vraiment hâte de voir ta présentation !

[kuranobi@mas.to]

@_elena Le fédiverse est pour tout qui respect les droits des autres.

[worldwidewerner@mastodon.social]

@_elena
I left Twitter, expecting to find a similar experience on Mastodon. But what i found instead was community.

I'm brought back to the ways of the old internet, where humans matter and interactions are not fueled by algorithms, but curiosity.

[hallvors@oslo.town]

@worldwidewerner @_elena this

[eetschrijver@mastodon.social]

@Marabilles
Je pourrais t'expliquer ce que c'est qu'un Brompton, mais je ne veux pas faire trop reply guy.
@_elena

[leavex@mastodon.social]

@_elena Cher Président Macron, pourquoi n'êtes-vous pas encore présent sur le Fediverse ? Cessez de laisser cet espace aux trolls et aux extrémistes, quittez X.

#LeaveX

[shom@gts.shom.dev]

@_elena thanks for advocating for the fedivers and looks like you have a lot of feedback but I'll add my voice anyway.

Knowing that when people build communities here around their common interests, it is not because of "reach", "influencing", "hacking the algorithm", "brand deals", and other "link in bio" nonsense. But it is for the pure joy of sharing what they love with other humans; to form bonds that transcend national, technical, and corporate boundaries. The original promise of the free internet.

[tuckfrump@mastodon.social]

@_elena privacy and independence, no big tech companies controlling what we say , and no misinformation like Facebook.

[stephaniemoore@mastodon.online]

@_elena The Fediverse is regularly an inspiring alternative vision. I draw on it constantly as a reminder that we are the ones build who build these systems and we can build better systems that reflect different values and priorities besides extraction and capitalization and algorithmic injustice.

I’ll be using the Fediverse as an example in an upcoming keynote that’s on ethics and hope and metamodernism. I look forward to seeing what you speak on once you’re able to share.

[funkylab@mastodon.social]

@shom @_elena hypothesis: the same people exist elsewhere too (they very much did on twitter!), and also, accounts with a mission, for whom reach is the main goal, do, luckily, exist here, and in abundance, too.

Heck, most of the "Mastodon is so great!" accounts here *are* absolutely trying to reach as many people as possible. That's a very valid motive for saying something in public! Don't discount that as undesirable. To an outsider, disclaiming reach makes the platform sound inauthentic.

[xodus_online@mastodon.social]

@_elena reasons for switching from Big Tech to the Fediverse are outlined in http://xodus.online/why

[funkylab@mastodon.social]

@shom @_elena accounts with a mission that both have and work towards high reach:
- the very highly boosted accounts of European institutions posting about regulations, initiatives
- FOSS projects
- civil rights organizations
- animal welfare orgs and individuals
- political pundits (yes, plenty of these here, look at "Trending" at mastodon.social!)
- artists that actually need the publicity for making a living
- sex and other personal service workers

[randulo@mastodon.social]

@_elena Malgré leurs défauts, les plateformes fédérées comme Mastodon ont l'avantage de ne pas être dans les mains d'une mégacorporation. Le fediverse est soutenu par des passionnés des technologies, culture, histoire, éducation, écologie, animaux, bref, toutes les qualités humaines.

[dragonwolfsp@dragonscave.space]

@_elena What makes the fediverse special to me comes down to a few core differences from corporate social platforms.
First, control. On the fediverse, I decide what I see and what I don’t. Corporate platforms are built around engagement algorithms designed to keep you scrolling, clicking, and reacting. That usually means being shown whatever is most likely to provoke a response — often outrage, conflict, or sensational content. Advertising is also baked into that model, because those platforms exist primarily to generate revenue.
The fediverse works differently. There’s no global engagement algorithm deciding what deserves your attention. Instead, you follow people, hashtags, or communities you actually care about. That alone changes the experience dramatically. You're not being pushed toward content designed to manipulate your attention — you're choosing your environment.
That leads directly to the second reason: the tone and atmosphere. When I use the fediverse, I’m not stepping into a constant stream of negativity. If I make a post, the people who see it are usually those who chose to follow me or share similar interests. That tends to produce more thoughtful, constructive, and positive interactions. Likewise, what I read is content I intentionally opted into, which creates a healthier and more welcoming social space overall.
Finally, ownership and autonomy. On the fediverse, no single corporation owns your voice. Your posts aren’t controlled by a company, a billionaire, or a centralized platform. Your instance may have moderation policies, but your content ultimately belongs to you. Privacy is also built into the structure itself. If you post to followers-only, only your followers see it. If you post directly, only the mentioned people see it. That behavior isn’t an afterthought — it’s part of how the system was designed from the start.
Ultimately, the fediverse is built by users, for users. It isn’t controlled by a single entity, and that decentralization creates something rare: a social space shaped by communities instead of profit motives. That’s what makes it special.

-Kaelaeth & -Anivara

[marabilles@piaille.fr]

@Eetschrijver @_elena
Oui, non, c'est pas utile, je crois bien que je m'en contrefiche

[ephemeral@mograph.social]

@_elena when I was on commercial social media I felt like I was drowning. On fedi I can breathe.

[crowjane@mastodon.sdf.org]

@_elena

I appreciate this platform. I don’t need to be fed by an algorithm. I want organic real people. When one asks a question or advice here they get real answers, from truly kind people wanting to assist you. This has become a novelty on other platforms. Here on the Fediverse it is the norm, not the exception. Plus there are some really smart, funny and compassionate people here. It’s fun, we all need fun.