Mastodon is a free and open-source social networking service that is decentralized and operates on user servers. It was created by Eugen Rochko in October 2016 and gained significant adoption in 2022 in the wake of Twitters acquisition by Elon Musk. Mastodon has microblogging features similar to Twitter, and its posts are called "toots". Unlike Twitter, which is operated by one centralized entity, Mastodon has thousands of distributed servers known as "instances," each with its own code of conduct, terms of service, privacy policy, privacy options, and content moderation policies. Mastodon is part of the Fediverse ensemble of computer servers, which use shared protocols allowing users to interact with other users on computers running compatible software packages such as PeerTube and Friendica. Mastodon is crowdfunded and does not contain ads. Mastodon has changed the opinion of social media for some users, as it is a refreshing take on microblogging with a focus on privacy and safety.