Is using U.S. Owned Social Media the Right Strategy?

Let’s admit it, no one in Canada is totally comfortable using social media platforms that are owned and controlled by U.S. technology firms. And as a public figure you may not like having your messages associated with those applications. But is it a necessary evil?

There is an alternative. Mastodon is an open-source, non-profit social media platform that runs on Canadian owned and operated servers. U.S. companies could deny you access to your channel at any time, or apply an algorithm that uses your message in unintended ways. A Mastodon account means control and security remains in Canada and you won’t lose access to your audience. Controls for communications and responses are far more extensive versus U.S. social media and you determine how your messages are seen and used, not some algorithm designed to drive data traffic.

Please consider taking a small step by adding Mastodon to your social media strategy. You can use 3rd party tools (like Publer or Buffer) to schedule and post messages across multiple platforms, including Mastodon. Build your Canadian audience and start decreasing your need to rely on 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.