If you're thinking of trying Mastodon, I would recommend joining an interest-specific or locality-specific server rather than one of the general purpose servers, because the local community is likely to be stronger and more engaged. You can always jump ship later if you find it's not your thing Some examples: - https://fosstodon.org for FOSS - https://infosec.exchange for infosec - https://sfba.social for the bay are…
https://sigmoid.social/ for AI/machine learning.
I really like the idea of different organizations running their own instances. You don't need an overbearing, exhaustive and centralized system of verification for journalists when something like WAPO or NY Times can run an instance for their employees, much like how email works.
Edit: A lot of journalists just learned about the value of owning their distribution platform now too lol