Did somebody tell you it's too confusing?

I think this is the way we should communicate, when presented with the question on how to get on Mastodon:

Copy paste from the link:

How do I use Mastodon?

  • Download the Mastodon app from the Apple app store or Play store.

  • Create an account (just like Twitter or any other social media)

  • Follow people, and get posting.

Why do tech journalists say it’s too confusing to catch on?

I have no fucking idea.

EDIT for clarification, don’t take this too seriously:

This “guide” is a bit of a joke made out of frustration. If you actually want to know more, including why I feel it has potential to free us from the dystopian hellscape that is modern social media, here is the “real” guide to Mastodon. It still uses simple language (and has lots of pictures!):

Please share widely

    • James R Kirk@startrek.websiteEnglish
      3·
      3 days ago

      When using the official Mastodon app (as suggested in the “guide”) “instances” are not a factor at all (unless the user specifically goes out of their way). A new user could have never even heard of the term “instance” and the above steps would work fine.

      You don’t just download the app, create an account, and go.

      Actually with Mastodon this is literally how it works.

      EDIT: I should say this is how it works now, it didn’t always used to be this way. The official Mastodon app used to ask the user to pick an instance, but for a number of years now it defaults every new account to mastodon.social unless they opt out. There was a big brouhah about centralization but the Mastodon devs felt it made for easier on boarding.

    • Nima@leminal.spaceEnglish
      01·
      3 days ago

      exactly. and trying to downplay potential users as stupid before they’ve even used a social media platform isn’t going to exactly make them want to stay. or even try in the first place.

      just makes mastodon look like a place where nerds reign free and normal folks won’t be able to participate effectively.

      if you want to make mastodon a destination and not a niche corner to be avoided, this is not the way.

      i agree with you completely.

      edit: I should clarify, the “guide” above is the thing insulting users. the guide is inaccurate.

      • Luffy@lemmy.mlEnglish
        22·
        2 days ago

        and trying to downplay potential users as stupid

        Because they are

        When I was frickin‘ 14, I managed to grasp the Idea of an Instance and managed to find an instance I liked and register there

        And if some 25 y o goddamn Tech Journalists is dumber than a dude in 7th grade with a phone, maybe you should start thinking about if we are really all Albert Einsteins prodogy or if the bar is just set way too low for considering whats „Normal Intelligence“

      • Ofiuco@lemmy.cafeEnglish
        1·
        3 days ago

        just makes mastodon look like a place where nerds reign free and normal folks won’t be able to participate effectively.

        I gotta say… that’s what the fediverse is (for now), there have been a couple of posts on Lemmy about things being too niche or too nerd oriented (more recently people were talking about the lack of sports), same thing happens on mastodon, if you aren’t from a country with enough users, there’s basically nothing and it gets worse if you are a normie since most of the current users will be nerds who only talk about linux, their job, inside jokes and memes, some games, keyboard-activism and FOSS

        mexican ranting

        … and propaganda-users who benefits from the lack of real users from a country to spread their shit and mass-downvote the rest (like lemmy and 🇲🇽)

        So whenever a normie searches for something (yes, even the so suggested hashtags) they won’t find anything and whatever they post will get buried and ignored, quickly driving them away from it (at least that’s what I’ve observed when it comes to the mexican experience).

        And that’s without talking about the terrible browsing experience that mastodon provides (ex: wish I could explore another instance’s local posts while being logged in from mine).

    • ikt@aussie.zoneEnglish
      0·
      3 days ago

      then you need to decide your instance

      Just use mastodon.social

      If you feel like you want to join a more specific community then you can

        • lgsp@feddit.it@feddit.itOPEnglish
          1·
          3 days ago

          We both know that is not how this should work. If everybody joins the same instance

          But this doesn’t happen. Mastodon.social is far from 90%, and the former CEO made the choice of letting control go to an entity that is no-profit, I think it’s the right choice.

          • The casual user joins mastodon.social (default highlighted choice). He can enjoy the Fediverse and discover its complexity with experience, not by understanding everything in advance.
            • He can the move to another instance if he feels so, after undetstanding what this actually means
          • The more advanced user probably already knows the instance thing, and maybe doesn’t even use the offical app
  • .Donuts@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2·
    3 days ago

    I think that’s too simplified and it will create expectations that aren’t true, because It’s more like this:

    1. Choose instance

    1. Read & agree to Mastadon rules

    2. Read & agree to (instance) privacy terms

    3. Create account

    4. Tap the verification link in your email

    5. Solve the Captcha

    6. Get a list of people/users to follow (why these people? What is it based on?)

    7. Setup profile

    8. Done!

    • cecilkorik@lemmy.caEnglish
      2·
      3 days ago

      Most of those are all really simple, common things that are done when creating accounts on any service though. If Mastodon is literally the first service you’ve ever signed up for in your life maybe that’s justified but most people have made an account somewhere before.

      And that’s the point OP is trying to make. It’s a very familiar process, except for step 1, which you can literally just ignore and pick the big highlighted blue button and avoid that scary and confusing “Pick another server” button if you’re not up to it.

      • .Donuts@lemmy.worldEnglish
        0·
        3 days ago

        The real guide is still either outdated or doesn’t take into account that there’s a lot more steps. But considering it’s been 2 years, I don’t hold that against the author

        • lgsp@feddit.it@feddit.itOPEnglish
          2·
          3 days ago

          I think your steps from 2 to 8 are summed up in

          Create an account. Just like Twitter (or any other social media).

          Meaning that those are not any different than what you need to do in Twitter or facebook. Actually the consents you need and the app permissions are much simpler in Mastodon case

  • klu9@lemmy.caEnglish
    1·
    3 days ago

    Well, I’m confused. And has it caught on?

    Disclosure: I’ve tried it out on my computer, not the app. Is the app more user-friendly?

    E.g. I only just realized now why I’ve been so confused by Mastodon; the web page shows you replies before showing you what’s being replied to, without the UI making it obvious that’s what it’s doing and what’s connected together. Does the app fix that, and is there a way to get a fix in a web browser?

    • lgsp@feddit.it@feddit.itOPEnglish
      2·
      3 days ago

      I’m not sure, but i guess that it is replicating Twitter behaviour. I got used to that quickly.

      But if you want a better experience you can easily find other front ends. I strongly suggest Phanpy that makes it really clear when a toot is part of a conversation/thread. It also does a lot of nice things like grouping boosts in horizontal carousels, collapsing long threads to avoid occpying the too many screens, and others, but it is still simple