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A kind observation that exclusively calling this place "Mastodon" has a bit similar energy as saying "I just sent a GMail."
"Fediverse" (or "fedi") is a more inclusive, general term.
Mastodon is just one of many software projects that talk to each other to create this multi-instance social network:
https://axbom.com/fediverse/
(kudos to @axbom for this fantastic infographic!)
There are blogs, Reddit-like communities, video instances and many more, all part of fedi.
@rysiek @axbom I like the GMail analogy, but it's more of a language evolution thing. You can't stop people from saying "Google it" without offer an attractive alternative like "Duck it up" . "SearX it" (pronounced seer ix) doesn't roll off the tongue. Fedifinder has a memorable brand. But "The Fediverse" doesn't yet. Communities and protocols don't typically have or need cohesive brands. Especially not for federated communities. Products and organizations do. Truth.social vs Masto