What you need to know
- One of Google Search's popular Twitter handles is now seen on Mastodon.
- The search giant's tech insights channel reportedly joined the decentralized social media platform early this month.
- Mastodon has recently passed 2 million daily active users.
As Elon Musk's vision for Twitter 2.0 sends employees packing, many users of the platform have also expressed their desire to jump ship as they hunt for Twitter substitutes. Some companies may be trying to seek out alternatives as well, and it looks like Google decided to hop on Mastodon to create its first account on the platform.
As spotted by 9to5Google, Google happens to have made its first profile on Mastodon for Google SearchLiaison, which is based on a dedicated account on Twitter where the company shares insights on how its search functionality works. The Alphabet-owned company also linked its official Mastodon handle @searchliaison@mastodon.social in the bio of its Twitter page.
The 9to5 reports that the SearchLiaison account joined the main server of Mastodon on November 4 and had already shared three posts. The most recent one evidently was cross-posted on Mastodon and Twitter's official pages.
With SearchLiaison seemingly being Google's first official presence on Mastodon, it's possible we may see other Google accounts follow suit over time, although it remains to be seen which will make the switch.
While it is interesting to see Google catching onto the trend, it's not exactly unprecedented as the company already has accounts on platforms like Instagram, and Facebook, for example. Nonetheless, those accounts are far more active on Twitter than on Instagram.
Either way, Google and other tech giants need their presence on various social media alternatives, especially if Twitter begins bleeding users. Mastodon might be the next better alternative to Twitter, or maybe not; only time will reveal.
Regardless, Mastodon has been a highly talked about alternative to Twitter in recent weeks, ever since Musk acquired the ailing social media platform for $44 billion. Musk's recent moves since taking over include reinstating Trump and Kanye West into the platform after recently causing a mass exodus of employees. In the midst of Twitter's shakeup, we have seen executives like Apple's Phil Schiller deactivating their accounts.
Such aversions have seen Mastodon's usage rise, as it recently crossed two million active monthly users:
Mastodon has just passed over 2 million active monthly users, a new record! People are voting with their feet. The future of social media doesn't have to belong to a billionaire, it can be in the hands of its users.November 20, 2022
