Congratulations, you have created an account on the fediverse! But now what? Without the algorithms we are used to from big tech social media platforms, your feed will remain conspicuously empty. Whereas the TikTok algorithm, for example, automatically floods your feed with videos of toddlers falling over, complicated dances or make-up transformations, on the fediverse you have to compile your feed yourself.
This takes some getting used to-and that's exactly the intention of platforms such as Mastodon. As they write on their website: “Your home feed should be filled with what matters to you most, not what a corporation thinks you should see.” Building your own feed means more control and more freedom of choice, but where do you start?
Follow interesting accounts
With your newfound freedom of choice, it's worth considering what you want to use the fediverse for. Do you want to stay up to date with what's happening in the world, or do you want your fediverse to be a place where you can escape the news for a while? Your home feed on the fediverse is essentially your own corner of the internet, a space that you can customise entirely to your liking. Once you have decided what kind of place you want your feed to be, the first step is to follow accounts that fit that description. Here are some suggestions to get you started:
For a critically informed feed
- @nrc_nl@mastodon.nl – Stay up to date with world news (in Dutch)
- @DeGroene@social.groene.nl – In-depth long reads and background stories (in Dutch)
- @waag@waag.social – Research, articles and events about and for an open, fair and inclusive internet
- @marleenstikker@waag.social – Founder and Director of Waag Futurelab, and author of the book "The Internet is broken, but we can fix it"
- @taylorlorenz@mastodon.social – American journalist who writes about technology, culture, and the influence of social media
- @climatenewsnow@mastodon.social – Daily news and insights about the environment and climate change
- @parismarx@mastodon.online – Tech critic and host of the podcast "Tech won’t save us"
- @timnitGebru@dair-community.social – Computer scientist committed to community-oriented AI research
For a light-hearted feed
- @mrLovenstein@mastodon.social – Daily short webcomics that will make you smile
- @shellie@ironchefshellie.com – Delicious recipes and mouth-watering pictures of food
- @lostintimeNL@mastodon.nl – Urban photography of abandoned buildings and structures
- @ChessPuzzleBot@masto.es – Daily chess puzzles to get your brain working
- @microtrailers@mastodon.social – Six-second microtrailers featuring the latest video games on Steam
- @baabaabrighouse@mastodonapp.uk – A small Yorkshire-based company specialising in beautiful hand-dyed knitting yarn
- @thechattygardener@mastodon.online – Gardening tips, inspiration and stunning flower photography
- @FediTipssocial@growyourown.services – Daily tips to help you find your way around the fediverse
To get off to a flying start, you can find many more interesting accounts on the Fedi directory website. This site features a carefully curated selection of accounts by hobby, field or interest. Once you start following a few people, you will naturally discover many more interesting accounts through shared posts. Or take a look at the list of followers of the people you find interesting.
Following hashtags
One final useful tip for quickly personalising your feed is to follow hashtags, such as #woodworking, #cheesemaking or #psychology. On Mastodon, you can do this by finding the search results for the hashtag and clicking on the ‘Follow’ button in the top right corner. Because your feed is not controlled by an algorithm but by you, hashtags are especially valuable for finding the right content.
Have fun setting up your own corner of the internet!
