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.
The technical implementation won't be trivial. "Envisioning a similar feature that prioritises user consent, and works across a constellation of independent servers, is no small feat," Joy acknowledged. Mastodon operates across thousands of federated servers, making feature coordination significantly more complex than centralized platforms like Bluesky or Threads.
Mastodon plans to debut Packs within the onboarding flow of version 4.6, though no specific timeline was provided. The platform currently runs on version 4.4, suggesting users might wait months for the feature. The company is also working to make Packs available to developers building other ActivityPub applications, potentially expanding the feature across the broader fediverse.
The real test will be whether Mastodon's privacy-enhanced approach resonates with users who have consistently chosen more centralized alternatives. Bluesky has gained millions of users partly because Starter Packs make discovery effortless - but Mastodon's opt-in philosophy might limit the feature's viral potential.
Mastodon's privacy-first take on Starter Packs represents a calculated bet that user control matters more than viral growth. While Bluesky and Threads prioritize frictionless discovery, Mastodon is doubling down on consent-based features that align with its decentralized ethos. Whether this approach can solve the platform's persistent user retention issues remains to be seen, but it's the most direct attempt yet to balance effective onboarding with user autonomy in the social media space.
