mastodon.social is one of the many independent Mastodon servers you can use to participate in the fediverse.
The original server operated by the Mastodon gGmbH non-profit

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JP

I don't know anything about this instance or its community, but I like this section of its About page. It feels like a human being talking about what they're willing to do for other humans.
The way corporate platforms communicate (or fail to) has really skewed our understandings of what kinds of relationships we get into with them. Human communication like this feels like it's recalibrating that a bit, to something better and more like a future I'd like to live in.
artistalley.space/about

@jplebreton I'm the admin of that instance, thank you very much for your incredibly kind words. I've seen too many companies overpromise or renege on promises, and I've seen the harm that's caused especially to creators and artists. The worst thing I could do is cause more anxiety for those people who use social media to survive. It's my hope that speaking earnestly about it encourages trust.

(And if any creators see this and need a Mastodonian home, feel free to apply on that page!)

@jplebreton You are right, it is human and totally understandable even though the admin basically ain't promising anything. "If the server becomes too expensive to run" gives him/her the absolution to close down at any time anyway.

@jplebreton And it is always encouraging to notice how surprised up to friendly ppl react when receiving direct answers in human tone. Even some of the snarkiest poster suddenly know "thanks" and find the like button.

@jplebreton Oh, I really like that. I want more reminders out there that the Internet is not an eternal magical dreamspace, but code on computers run by people.