Do You Own Your Social Media?

The short answer is NO, because all social media platforms are owned and controlled by U.S. technology firms. They use algorithms that drive negative engagement, they collect and sell personal data, and they could withdraw access at a moment[s notice. But is there an alternative?

Mastodon is an open-source, non-profit social media platform that runs on Canadian owned and operated servers. There is no algorithm that highlights and multiplies harmful and hateful messages. There are no subscription fees, no advertising and end user data is not collected, stored or shared. Mastodon is a community that is built for communication and social engagement.

Taking control of your Digital Sovereignty begins with reducing your reliance on U.S. owned social media platforms. By simply adding a Mastodon account to your social media strategy, you are signalling that you care about data security and privacy when communicating with your audience. You don't have to stop using your current channels because you can use 3rd party tools (like Publer or Buffer) to schedule and post messages across multiple platforms, including Mastodon. But as you build your Canadian audience you gain leverage over your communication and can start moving away from foreign owned and controlled social media.

Setting up a Mastodon account is simple. Just visit this Getting Started link and follow the steps. Once you have registered on a server you are ready to participate in the Mastodon Canadian community.