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University of Innsbruck relies on Mastodon – Universität Innsbruck</title><meta charset="utf-8"><meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge"><link rel="icon" href="/static/uniweb/images/icons/favicon.a28011f62af2.ico" type="image/x-icon" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0"><link rel="canonical" href="https://www.uibk.ac.at/en/newsroom/2024/bluesky-university-of-innsbruck-relies-on-mastodon/"><link rel="alternate" hreflang="x-default" href="https://www.uibk.ac.at/de/newsroom/2024/bluesky-fur-uni-innsbruck-ist-mastodon-wegweisend/"><link rel="alternate" hreflang="en" href="https://www.uibk.ac.at/en/newsroom/2024/bluesky-university-of-innsbruck-relies-on-mastodon/"><link rel="alternate" hreflang="de" href="https://www.uibk.ac.at/de/newsroom/2024/bluesky-fur-uni-innsbruck-ist-mastodon-wegweisend/"><meta name="dcterms.modified" content="2024-11-20"><meta name="dcterms.format" content="text/html"><meta name="dcterms.language" content="en"><meta property="fediverse:creator" name="fediverse:creator" content="@uniinnsbruck@social.uibk.ac.at" /><meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" /><meta name="twitter:site" content="@uniinnsbruck" /><meta property="og:url" content="https://www.uibk.ac.at/en/newsroom/2024/bluesky-university-of-innsbruck-relies-on-mastodon/" /><meta property="og:title" content="Bluesky? University of Innsbruck relies on Mastodon" /><meta property="og:description" content="Twitter, long considered the go-to platform for microblogging, is history. Its successor, X, is currently witnessing a mass exodus. Even celebrities are abandoning the platform in favor of alternatives. But which options are sustainable in the long run? Since early 2024, the University of Innsbruck has been offering its staff a secure haven with its Mastodon instance." /><meta property="og:image" content="https://www.uibk.ac.at/media/filer_public_thumbnails/filer_public/ff/e2/ffe2e281-2608-4557-a910-19de089b9913/bluesky.jpg__1200x720_q85_crop_subsampling-2_upscale.jpg" /><meta property="og:image:type" content="image/jpeg" /><meta property="og:image:alt" content="The world of microblogging has fragmented and keeping an overview is not always easy." /><meta property="og:image:width" content="1200" /><meta property="og:image:height" content="720" /><meta property="og:locale" content="en_GB" /><script type="module" src="/static/node_modules/uniweb-components/dist/uniweb-components/uniweb-components.esm.7b817757fa5a.js"></script><link href="/static/uniweb/css/default.090e4a81a3da.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/> <link href="/static/uniweb/css/print.af7e8dc14679.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" media="print"/> <link href="/static/uniweb/css/shariff.complete.ff4dbf0968b0.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/> <link href="/static/utils/css/cactus.4230e3506406.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/> <script>(function(){var _mtm=window._mtm=window._mtm||[];_mtm.push({'mtm.startTime':(new Date().getTime()),'event':'mtm.Start'});var d=document,g=d.createElement('script'),s=d.getElementsByTagName('script')[0];g.type='text/javascript';g.async=true;g.src='https://www.uibk.ac.at/pwk/js/container_htPnMFTX.js';s.parentNode.insertBefore(g,s);})()</script></head><body> <header id="uibk-header-2024" class="uibk-header-default d-print-none"> <div id="uibk-nav-canvas" class="w-100 d-flex flex-row align-items-start"> <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-12 d-flex flex-row justify-content-between align-items-center"> <div id="uibk-nav-logo"> <a href="https://www.uibk.ac.at/"> <img src="/static/uniweb/images/logo-uibk.90f7ae9bbfac.svg" alt="Logo Universität Innsbruck" /> </a> </div> <nav id="uibk-nav-prime" class="d-flex flex-row align-items-end" aria-label="Global" tabindex="0"> <button type="button" data-target="uibk-nav-search" data-focus="uibk-search-forms" class="position-relative uibk-nav-btn-open d-flex flex-column-reverse navbar-toggler btn btn-lg btn-supersized justify-content-end align-items-center uibk-mb-05" id="uibk-btn-nav-search" aria-label="Search" tabindex="0"><span class="uibk-navi-text text-white position-absolute">Search</span><i class="fa fa-search fa-fw fa-2x"></i></button><button type="button" data-target="uibk-nav-quicklinks" data-focus="uibk-nav-quicklinks-all" class="position-relative uibk-nav-btn-open d-flex flex-column-reverse navbar-toggler btn btn-lg btn-supersized justify-content-end align-items-center uibk-mb-05" id="uibk-btn-nav-quicklinks" aria-label="Quicklinks" tabindex="0"><span class="uibk-navi-text text-white position-absolute">Quicklinks</span><i class="fas fa-bolt fa-fw fa-2x"></i></button><button type="button" data-target="uibk-nav-fold-out" data-focus="uibk-nav-pages" class="position-relative uibk-nav-btn-open d-flex flex-column-reverse navbar-toggler btn btn-lg btn-supersized justify-content-center align-items-center uibk-mb-05" id="uibk-btn-nav-fold-out" aria-label="Seiten" tabindex="0"><span class="uibk-navi-text text-white position-absolute">Navigation</span><i class="fas fa-bars fa-fw fa-2x"></i></button> </nav> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="uibk-nav-search" class="uibk-nav position-absolute d-none min-vh-100 w-100 flex-column justify-content-between" role="dialog" aria-modal="true" aria-label="Search" tabindex="0"><div class="uibk-nav-col-2 container"><div id="uibk-search-forms" class="uibk-fold-out-span-2" tabindex="0"><form action="https://www.uibk.ac.at/search" method="get" role="search" aria-label="Web pages"><h2 class="uibk-mt-0 text-white" tabindex="-1" id="nav-search-title">Web search</h2><label for="uibk-website-search" hidden="">Search term</label><div class="d-flex flex-row uibk-flex-search"><div class="form-group uibk-mb-1 w-100"><input name="q" id="uibk-website-search" type="search" maxlength="120" placeholder="Enter search term" class="form-control form-control-lg w-100" autocomplete="off" aria-autocomplete="list" aria-owns="uibk-website-search-suggestion" aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="listbox" aria-describedby="uibk-website-search-assistive" /><ul id="uibk-website-search-suggestion" tabindex="-1" aria-label="Search suggestions" aria-labelledby="uibk-website-search"></ul><span id="uibk-website-search-suggestion-alert" role="alert" class="sr-only">no search suggestions</span><span id="uibk-website-search-assistive" class="d-none">If automatic search suggestions are available, use the up and down arrows to check and the Enter key to select. 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srcset="/media/filer_public_thumbnails/filer_public/ff/e2/ffe2e281-2608-4557-a910-19de089b9913/bluesky.jpg__1200.0x720_q85_crop_subsampling-2_upscale.jpg.webp" type="image/webp" /><source media="(-webkit-max-device-pixel-ratio: 1.5) and (min-width: 992px) and (max-width: 1199.98px)" srcset="/media/filer_public_thumbnails/filer_public/ff/e2/ffe2e281-2608-4557-a910-19de089b9913/bluesky.jpg__600.0x360_q85_crop_subsampling-2_upscale.jpg" type="image/jpeg" /><source media="(-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 1.5) and (min-width: 992px) and (max-width: 1199.98px)" srcset="/media/filer_public_thumbnails/filer_public/ff/e2/ffe2e281-2608-4557-a910-19de089b9913/bluesky.jpg__1200.0x720_q85_crop_subsampling-2_upscale.jpg" type="image/jpeg" /><source media="(max-resolution: 1.5dppx) and (max-width: 991.98px)" srcset="/media/filer_public_thumbnails/filer_public/ff/e2/ffe2e281-2608-4557-a910-19de089b9913/bluesky.jpg__496.0x298_q85_crop_subsampling-2_upscale.jpg.webp" type="image/webp" /><source media="(min-resolution: 1.5dppx) and (max-width: 991.98px)" srcset="/media/filer_public_thumbnails/filer_public/ff/e2/ffe2e281-2608-4557-a910-19de089b9913/bluesky.jpg__992.0x596_q85_crop_subsampling-2_upscale.jpg.webp" type="image/webp" /><source media="(-webkit-max-device-pixel-ratio: 1.5) and (max-width: 991.98px)" srcset="/media/filer_public_thumbnails/filer_public/ff/e2/ffe2e281-2608-4557-a910-19de089b9913/bluesky.jpg__496.0x298_q85_crop_subsampling-2_upscale.jpg" type="image/jpeg" /><source media="(-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 1.5) and (max-width: 991.98px)" srcset="/media/filer_public_thumbnails/filer_public/ff/e2/ffe2e281-2608-4557-a910-19de089b9913/bluesky.jpg__992.0x596_q85_crop_subsampling-2_upscale.jpg" type="image/jpeg" /><source media="(max-resolution: 1.5dppx) and (min-width: 1200px)" srcset="/media/filer_public_thumbnails/filer_public/ff/e2/ffe2e281-2608-4557-a910-19de089b9913/bluesky.jpg__660.0x396_q85_crop_subsampling-2_upscale.jpg.webp" type="image/webp" /><source media="(min-resolution: 1.5dppx) and (min-width: 1200px)" srcset="/media/filer_public_thumbnails/filer_public/ff/e2/ffe2e281-2608-4557-a910-19de089b9913/bluesky.jpg__1320.0x792_q85_crop_subsampling-2_upscale.jpg.webp" type="image/webp" /><source media="(-webkit-max-device-pixel-ratio: 1.5) and (min-width: 1200px)" srcset="/media/filer_public_thumbnails/filer_public/ff/e2/ffe2e281-2608-4557-a910-19de089b9913/bluesky.jpg__660.0x396_q85_crop_subsampling-2_upscale.jpg" type="image/jpeg" /><source media="(-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 1.5) and (min-width: 1200px)" srcset="/media/filer_public_thumbnails/filer_public/ff/e2/ffe2e281-2608-4557-a910-19de089b9913/bluesky.jpg__1320.0x792_q85_crop_subsampling-2_upscale.jpg" type="image/jpeg" /><img src="/media/filer_public_thumbnails/filer_public/ff/e2/ffe2e281-2608-4557-a910-19de089b9913/bluesky.jpg__288.0x173_q85_crop_subsampling-2.jpg" loading="lazy" alt="Logos of the platforms Mastodon, Bluesky, Twitter, Threads and X" /></picture><figcaption><p>The world of microblogging has fragmented and keeping an overview is not always easy.</p></figcaption></figure><div><h1 property="name">Bluesky? University of Innsbruck relies on Mastodon</h1><time property="datePublished" datetime="2024-11-20T16:35:13+01:00">20.11.2024</time><p>Twitter, long considered the go-to platform for microblogging, is history. Its successor, X, is currently witnessing a mass exodus. Even celebrities are abandoning the platform in favor of alternatives. But which options are sustainable in the long run? Since early 2024, the University of Innsbruck has been offering its staff a secure haven with its Mastodon instance.</p></div></div> <div class="uibk-main-content"> <p>Bluesky, Threads, or Mastodon? Following the U.S. elections, many X users are pulling the plug—some of whom had remained loyal through previous waves of departures. The criticism of the platform became deafening after Twitter’s sale and subsequent drastic changes by its new owner. Companies, celebrities, journalists, and many academics have withdrawn. The University of Innsbruck’s communications team, for example, stopped using X a year ago.</p> <p>But what’s the alternative to this once-popular communication channel? Currently, many are flocking to Bluesky. However, the service is already struggling under the surge of new sign-ups. Its long-term financial sustainability remains uncertain, leaving open the possibility of a fate similar to Twitter’s.</p> <p>Meta, Facebook’s parent company, launched Threads as an alternative shortly after Twitter’s sale. Integrated with Instagram accounts, Threads’ future trajectory is also unclear. Then there’s Mastodon, which isn’t a platform in the traditional sense. Mastodon is based on a network of independent instances connected through an open protocol within the structure of the Fediverse. The University of Innsbruck <a href="https://social.uibk.ac.at/about">has established such an instance</a>, accessible to all staff. Accounts can be <a href="https://community.uibk.ac.at/uniwiki/index.php?title=Microblogging-Dienst_Mastodon">created easily via single sign-on</a>.</p> <p>Building a community on these platforms typically requires significant effort and time. For instance, Twitter hosted a multitude of diverse publics where discussions on science, research, and countless other topics flourished. The platform’s decline has largely dismantled these spaces. It seems unlikely that a single service will emerge to dominate the landscape as Twitter once did. More likely, these new platforms will coexist. This fragmentation has left many wondering where to go next.</p> <p>This scattered platform landscape is creating uncertainty. The solution could lie in connecting these disparate services. The foundation is already in place, as many of these platforms use protocols that can interact. For instance, Threads in the U.S. has begun integrating with Mastodon, allowing cross-platform subscriptions. Additionally, services already exist to build bridges between Mastodon and Bluesky. Through such connections, Mastodon users can, for example, follow journalists, who recently moved to Bluesky. The University of Innsbruck's Mastodon account is <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/uniinnsbruck.social.uibk.ac.at.ap.brid.gy" target="_blank">also mirrored on Bluesky via a bridge</a>.</p> <p>Much work remains before these services can fully interact and create an open microblogging universe for all. For staff at the University of Innsbruck, the Mastodon instance at social.uibk.ac.at offers a service that ensures long-term independence from commercial developments and supports a privacy-friendly social media presence. Early results show that follower counts in the Fediverse shouldn’t be compared with those in the bot-laden world of X. Interaction rates and click-through numbers on Mastodon already surpass those from the former Twitter universe.</p> <p>The use and promotion of Mastodon reflect the communications team’s broader commitment to open platforms, as outlined in the position paper “<a href="/de/public-relations/kommunikation/open-science-communication/">Open Science Communication</a>”.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Related articles:</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.uibk.ac.at/en/newsroom/2023/university-of-innsbruck-focuses-on-mastodon/">University of Innsbruck focuses on Mastodon</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.uibk.ac.at/en/newsroom/2024/mastodon-for-all-university-employees/">Mastodon for all university employees</a></li> </ul> </div> <div> <li class="shariff-button mastodon-share-button" data-target="https://www.uibk.ac.at/en/newsroom/2024/bluesky-university-of-innsbruck-relies-on-mastodon/" data-name="Bluesky? 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