The social media copycat game just got more interesting. Mastodon announced Tuesday it's rolling out "Packs" - essentially Bluesky's Starter Packs feature with a privacy-first twist. Unlike Bluesky's original version, users can opt out of being added to curated lists entirely, giving them more control over their digital presence across the decentralized network.
Mastodon just made its boldest move yet to fix its biggest problem - getting new users to actually stick around. The decentralized social network unveiled "Packs" at Tuesday's FediForum event, a feature that's essentially Bluesky's Starter Packs with enhanced user controls. The timing isn't coincidental - it's a direct response to watching Bluesky solve onboarding in ways Mastodon hasn't managed in years of trying.
The concept mirrors what made Bluesky's Starter Packs so effective: curated lists of accounts organized by themes like journalists, podcasters, or verified users. But Mastodon's version adds something Bluesky doesn't offer - complete user consent. According to Mastodon's announcement, users can opt out entirely, meaning their accounts won't appear in any Packs without their permission.
The privacy controls go deeper than simple opt-outs. When someone adds you to a Pack, you'll get notified immediately. More importantly, you can remove yourself without the nuclear option of reporting or blocking the Pack creator - something Bluesky users have to resort to. "We believe that these kinds of user-generated, curated collections could help people to find their tribe more quickly when they join the Fediverse," Mastodon product designer Imani Joy explained in the blog post.
This isn't Mastodon's first attempt to tackle its notorious onboarding problem. The platform has been bleeding potential users who get overwhelmed by having to choose from thousands of server instances. Last year, Mastodon streamlined account creation by defaulting new users to mastodon.social, but the follow-finding problem remained unsolved.
The social media feature copying trend has accelerated recently. Meta's Threads launched its own Starter Packs variant in December, calling them "Curated Collections." Now Mastodon joins the race, but with a twist that could actually differentiate it - assuming users want more control over their visibility.
