Michael Calore: Nope.
Lauren Goode: Do you assume you’ll be a part of Mastodon?
Michael Calore: Maybe if there is a compelling group there. If there is a server for Swedish psych pop.
Lauren Goode: You are by no means going to reside down Swedish psych pop. I feel you talked about that at a convention, in like a combined crowd just a few years in the past, and now you are simply Swedish psych pop man.
Michael Calore: I’m completely pleased with that.
Lauren Goode: I do not know if there is a Mastodon server for Swedish psych pop, however I’m curious whether or not or not you assume we may technically set one up within the time it takes to report this podcast.
Michael Calore: Maybe.
Lauren Goode: Probably not.
Michael Calore: I do not actually know a lot about it.
Lauren Goode: Well, on the upside, somebody goes to demystify Mastodon for us at the moment.
Michael Calore: Sweet. Let’s do it.
[Gadget Lab intro theme music plays]
Lauren Goode: Hi everybody. Welcome to Gadget Lab. I’m Lauren Goode. I’m a senior author at WIRED.
Michael Calore: And I’m Michael Calore. I’m a senior editor at WIRED.
Lauren Goode: We’re additionally joined this week by WIRED senior editor Andrew Couts, who’s coming to us from a hamlet in upstate New York.
Andrew Couts: Hi, all people.
Lauren Goode: I simply needed to say hamlet. Hey, Andrew. How many individuals reside on this hamlet?
Andrew Couts: 188.
Lauren Goode: Seriously?
Andrew Couts: Yes.
Lauren Goode: That’s unimaginable. Are you want mayor there?
Andrew Couts: Nope, however I in all probability may very well be if I needed to. I do not know if we actually have a mayor. We have a board, however it’s very small. It’s quaint. It’s good.
Lauren Goode: I’m keen to guess that of everybody who lives in your hamlet, you could have probably the most followers on Mastodon.
Andrew Couts: That might be true. I type of hope it is true, as a result of if it isn’t, then meaning my neighbors are weirder than I feel they’re.
Lauren Goode: And you want to go buddy them instantly. All proper, effectively, we have undoubtedly tipped off what we’re speaking about at the moment. Right now, when you’re energetic on any common social media platform like Twitter or Facebook or Instagram, you are utilizing a centralized social media app. What does this even imply? Basically, it implies that one physique or one company holds all the facility over that community. It may also imply that you just actually expertise one major feed when you go surfing to the app, however within the first two extraordinarily chaotic weeks of Elon Musk’s possession of Twitter, one other narrative has emerged, one about decentralized social media apps. And one particularly, it is known as Mastodon. Now Mastodon appears to be like and feels a bit of like Twitter, however it’s fairly completely different at its core, so we have invited Andrew on to discuss it—as a result of Andrew, I feel you, like me, spent all weekend banging your head in opposition to the keyboard attempting to work out Mastodon. Is that right?
