Recently, I've noticed - and I know others have as well - fewer people posting on #Mastodon. It's also possible they are hard to find when they do post. And some of the more prolific #cybersecurity folks have also stopped posting here. So the question is why?
Some have suggested the search engine doesn't work for them. This might not be the only answer, but let's start here:

Does Mastodon's search function work for you?

@AAKL the search works to the point it was intended to. I know many infosec people have left here for Bluesky or threads or even back to X due to the culture here. 🤷

@jerry @AAKL I created my account on Akkoma because it had a more sensible approach to search back in the day and I also have an acc on infosec.exchange (Mastodon) just for search. Last time I checked none of them worked as I expect them to work (like I'm unable to find stuff by searching for exact phrases). I know people who don't use Fedi because of this.

It also seems to me that while I follow almost exclusively infosec people, much of the content I see is about unrelated and mostly depressing topics like war, climate change, etc. I get these are important topics, but I guess the last app anyone wants on their phone is a Bad News Machine.

@AAKL @jerry True, but part of the problem is that somehow much of the infosec discussions still don't seem to happen here. I'm usually astonished by the amount of content I have to x-post from X...

@buherator @AAKL @jerry Wow, that is profoundly not my experience. Masto reliably has the deepest infosec conversations around for me. Now I don't use X, but across Bsky, Threads, and here, it's no contest.

@jerry @AAKL I didn't notice as I don't use those other platforms, but can you elaborate how the culture is different/better there?

@hexmasteen @jerry No idea where people go when they stop posting on Mastodon. And it doesn't matter where they go. The question isn't intended as a comparison to other platforms, but to try and figure out why this is happening.

@AAKL @hexmasteen there are around 70,000 accounts on infosec.exchange. At the beginning of 2024, there were 20,000 active accounts. Today there are 14,300. There are many reasons for this. I’ve spoken with many of the “big” accounts that have left and there are a few common reasons:

Mastodon, more than other platforms, has people replying with “yeah but” comments about their issue. One person who left loved to post pictures of her cooking. She had an endless onslaught of people demanding she CW pictures of food. So she left.

Many people want to be here for a reason - to have an impact. Impact requires building a following. While it’s not impossible, it’s much, much more difficult here than on any other SM platform. As the number of people here shrinks, we will likely see an acceleration of shrinkage because of the network effect. Or rather, the reciprocal of the network effect.

Mastodon is not very good for threat intelligence. The lack of algorithmic timelines means that if you didn’t see a post fly by about a new vulnerability, you are just unaware unless someone you follow happens to boost it at the moment you look. Otherwise, you’re dependent on the original poster having their searchability enabled and using specific words you search for.

No quote posts.

No actual DM functionality.

@mttaggart @AAKL @jerry Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy the convos I have here! But I definitely don't see the expert2expert interactions (usually not involving me :)) that were usual on Twitter. I don't have numbers, and I also rarely go there, but my _impression_ (this is what counts right?) is that such conversations still happen more on the birdsite, and there's also interesting research _only_ posted there.

@AAKL @hexmasteen I would ask "what does sustainable mean for mastodon?" The platform was here for years before Twitter melted down with a smaller number of accounts. It isn't a situation where it has to turn a profit or meet growth targets, so generally people are ok with the decline. Personally, I wish it wouldn't happen - I really like this place, but I try to be pragmatic and honest about things.

@buherator @AAKL @jerry @mttaggart I get the feeling that a lot of experts went back to Twitter because they missed the pseudocelebrity status they get there. One of the challenges for me here is the distributed nature. There is so much good information and discussion, but it's hard to find across instances.

@AAKL @hexmasteen don't misunderstand - Mastodon today is a lightyear better than it was when I first started this place. The developers are trying to do the right thing and have a development pipeline that likely extends out for centuries, given the resource constraints they have.

@cR0w @buherator @AAKL @mttaggart that is definitely true for some

@jerry @cR0w @buherator @AAKL @mttaggart a bunch of folks i know bailed on public social media to chat about work stuff for a whole litany of reasons, so part of the reason youre not seeing stuff may not be because search isnt great, but because folks went back to the old irc model. a small chatgroup somewhere, nonpublic, so they dont have to deal with being brigaded, becoming the main character of the internet, or suffer the whims of yet another popular influencer dipshits virtue signaling

@mttaggart @buherator @AAKL @jerry

Same. But.

The best InfoSec interactions I have on social media these days is here. (Thanks again, Jerry!) It’s giving me those 2015 infosec twitter vibes.

However the deeper conversations I used to have on social media, I’m having across multiple Slack channels. It reminds me of 1995-2005 on IRC.

@cR0w There seems to be a strong correlation, for sure. Personally, it’s been disappointing (and telling) to see who’s stayed and supported that platform.

@bittner I agree, though I expect some of it is due to pressure from their employers, which sucks. I still have one account left that's private, no posts, no likes, as few clicks as I can get away with. I hate it, but unfortunately it's the only place to get timely updates from many public orgs.

@jwgoerlich @buherator @AAKL @jerry Yeah I'm considering our Discord haute categorie for similar reasons.

I'd also add that being here and not on X is a commitment to more than just infosec. If there's a cost in exposure, I'll gladly pay it.

@jerry

I dunno, probably should pass on the convo entirely, but...

But there seems to be a massive disconnect in the global Mastodon universe where I'm seeing new Mastodon plushies being advertised for Mastodon dot Social, and yet reading of user declines at the same time -- which implies a declining pool of people able to contribute to the operation their local instance

Maybe someone at the very top of the pile needs to consider some sort of profit sharing -- even though (of course) dot Social is officially "non-profit"

As to the overall numbers themselves, I've just never bought into the "endless growth always and forever is alway good" pitch

Mastodon does *not* need every person on Social Media to be here -- not by a long shot

Just my $0.02 USD...

cc @AAKL @hexmasteen

@FinchHaven @AAKL @hexmasteen I suspect Mastodon (the entity) would love to be in such a position to share profits, but they are resorting to selling stuffed animals to help fund developers.

@mttaggart @buherator @AAKL @jerry Oh for sure. I no longer have any sympathy (or any patience) for people on X. By now, they know what they are doing and who they are supporting.

@jerry

Yeah, see, this is why I kinda don't want to get too deep into this convo

[he says, diving in]

I've done double-entry, debits-and-credits bookkeeping on my own businesses since 1970 and am currently treasurer of my condo HOA

If you control the table of assets and liabilities accounts you can make any funds received look like any thing you want

Which is why I was so skeptical when Gargron claimed to be blind-sided by Germany withdrawing the gGmbh's non-profit status

If his accountants and lawyers were blind-sided by *that* he needs new accountants

Anyway, too far down that rabbit hole once again, which lead to tears the last time I climbed down it...

/taps out

cc @AAKL @hexmasteen

@Viss @jerry @cR0w @buherator @AAKL @mttaggart

Social media vs anti-social media.

@AAKL I know how the search functionality is supposed to work, but I swear to god sometimes the "in:library" tag doesn't find the posts I'm looking for, even if I remember the exact wording.

@AAKL My feed has been way more active for weeks now. A good mix of things too (e.g. infosec, politics, funny stuff, art, etc...). I'm quite proud of the time I've spent curating the feeds across my accounts though. Always lively, diverse, unique and something I enjoy scrolling through. It's always been this way too. People come and go. The garden that is the Fedi feed requires pruning, tending and care. 🌱😃

As for search, I'm on a single-user instance. So I don't use search hah! 😄