You can now get fully managed Mastodon hosting starting at 5 Euros per month.
https://masto.host/pricing/
Over the long run this is bad news especially for Twitter. This is turnkey hosting, all you have to do is work the admin panel. I think we a crossing a threshold here in social networks and breaking silos.
The problem with Mastodon are that the weaknesses of Twitter remain, it is too easy to have pile-ons, mobs etc. And so much depends on how well the Admins of each instance manage these things. Plus there will be a lot of churn.
But with all that said a lot of small groups (including fringe groups) can have their own social network and it's affordable.
Quoteso much depends on how well the Admins of each instance manage these things. Plus there will be a lot of churn
Outside of journalists & financial traders (along with *really* fringe political movements) there may not be a huge market for up-to-the-minute microblogging.
And arguably the single best filter for many forms of niche community websites is requiring payment for access. Require a recurring payment to participate and most forms of trolling & other disruptive behaviors disappear. Charging for access aligns incentives & acknowledges the cost of running the site, the moderation, dealing with churn, etc.
I don't think the problem is technical barrier to entry, but largely one of incentive structures.
There still are tons of forums & niche blogs on the web, but over time they tend to keep losing out to the likes of Facebook & Twitter. Many communities with staying power are ultimately more about depth of discussion rather than speed of analysis.
And sometimes charging for something makes people value it more. Which could make a once a week or once a month community site that is freely accessible become part of a daily routine if the owner charged for access.