BYTE •
PERSONALWhy I Quit Mastodon in 2026
I vented my concerns on Mastodon before. Multiple times. But I was moderately optimistic.
Now, after years, I have to say that little changed. Almost all the technical issues are still there, but they never were my main concern. What bothered me was Mastodon’s sociology and the “instances” dynamic.
A lot of people are unrelentingly annoying. Having a Ph.D. in Artificial Intelligence (even if video game–related) was often enough to have people scolding me for no reason. But even that I could tolerate.
But then there are the instances and their admins: feudal castles ruled by feudal lords, fighting or allying with each other, enacting arbitrary rules even more arbitrarily enforced.
The other day, mastodon.social deleted a post by a guy I know because it criticized (legitimately, and by stating factual truths) another instance. Recently, another instance added a rule prohibiting talking badly about other instances. They said it is to protect the quality of the Fediverse. That’s funny, because I constantly get false and deranged posts on the Explore tab, and I don’t think that criticizing an instance admin is the problem with Mastodon’s quality.
In any case, that’s the last straw. I refuse to be part of such infantile power play.
Mastodon’s problem is not a technology issue; it is a people issue.
P.S. This is not about the Fediverse as a whole or ActivityPub
I just want to say that this is a Mastodon-specific issue. The ActivityPub protocol is, obviously, not responsible for this. Probably other services of the Fediverse (Lemmy, Pixelfed, etc.) have the same problems. I don’t know. It didn’t look that way to me, but maybe it is just because they are small in comparison.
And, of course, there are exceptions. There are instances and admins that genuinely care about Mastodon’s mission. I know them. It is a shame they have to be affected by this state of affairs.
But I am too old for this. I have little time for things that are no longer interesting or fun.
The Changelog – December 2025
A short article written during the holidays
This monthly edition is shorter than usual, as I spent most of my time revising my second novel-length story, doing this year’s Advent of Code, and living the Christmas atmosphere.
The Changelog – November 2025
It looked like October Part 2, but with more James Bond.
October was very similar to November, with the same issues but also the same good things. I am focusing a lot on Music an RPGs as a coping mechanism. This month, I finished the last two books from the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, watched Del Toro’s Frankenstein and another bunch of James Bond movies. And an important news: after 2 years, I finally started Baldur’s Gate 3.
The Changelog – October 2025
October went by definitely too fast
October felt like it lasted a week. Still, it was a nice, cozy month. In this article we’ll talk about the fifth chapter of the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, two non-gory horror movies, another AOR album, and my experience with Ghost of Yotei
The Changelog – September 2025
I have a desk!
September was a great month. I finally have a desk, and I finally changed something in my daily routine. I read another two books of the Dungeon Crawler Carl series and finished the Three-Body Problem trilogy. I watched High and Low and The Phantom of the Opera, and I will share my connection I Love My Computer by Ninajirachi. Finally, my two cents about Silksong.
The Changelog – August 2025
Codeword: Recharging. Mission accomplished.
August was a month of recharging. I spent a week in the mountains and reconnected with myself. In this month’s issue: my first taste of litRPG, a Japanese movie about food, multiple Ulysses, and two progressive rock Ukrainian albums.
The Changelog – July 2025
Some reflections on a wavering July
It has been a month of contrasts; of light and shadows. In the midst of all that, I read three books, listened to the new Messa’s album and, of course, I watched KPop Demon Hunters like everybody else.
The Changelog – June 2025
Down the ephemeral sweetness of June
In this scorching hot June, I started to be myself again and I am again finally able to feel enthusiasm for projects and ideas. And for this reason, I read and watched more things. So let’s explore last month’s books, movie, and my favorite Japanese web radio.
The Changelog – May 2025
Better. Maybe.
I dont’t feel like talking much. So let’s just talke about two books abotut the Roman Empire, a movie about Bob Dylan, and how I am catching up with the Mission: Impossible franchise. And Expedition 33.
The Changelog – April 2025
A monnth where I lost myself in my head
This month has been harsh. I spent most of it in my head, unable to control a wave of anxiety and catastrophic thoughts. Yet, I tried my best. I read Nexus, watched Conclave just in time for the real one and found another obsucre gem in Netflix back catalog.