On Mastodon, there’s a feature that automatically suggests accounts to follow when people first join a server, and when they click on the For You or People tab in Explore or Search. These suggestions are based on how many people on that server follow the account and boost its posts, and server admins can optionally add suggestions manually too.
What if I don’t want my account suggested to others?
You can set whether your account is suggested to others or not.
- Log in through your server’s website or the web app.
- Click on ⚙️ Preferences
- Click on Profile (or ☰ and Profile if you’re on the mobile website)
- Click on the Privacy & Reach tab at the top
- Go to the box marked Feature profile and posts in discovery algorithms, and UN-tick the box if you do NOT want to be suggested.
Wait a minute… “Feature profile and posts in discovery algorithms”? I thought Mastodon didn’t use algorithms?
The name in this section is a bit misleading. These are not the kind of complex, hidden, dubiously motivated algorithms that cause problems on Facebook, Twitter etc. The “algorithm” in this case is a simple open source mathematical formula that looks at which accounts are most followed and most boosted.
Technically even the simplest mathematical process is an algorithm, but in this case it might as well just say “Most followed & most boosted accounts”.
The “For You” tab… is it using my personal data to generate suggestions?
No, it doesn’t use personal data. The For You tab gives the same suggestions to everyone on your server, but it hides accounts you are already following which is why it says “For You”. The tab has been renamed “People” on upcoming versions of Mastodon to make this clearer.