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 Right now in order to get people to move from Twitter I don’t think we have the grace space to make this perception change. Americans are rightly worried that the prime platform for organizing against #fascism is being destroyed and we are desperately working to regroup. #USPol #Mastodon #Twitter #TwitterMigration
@Pineywoozle @axbom sure, that's why I am putting it out here, not on
People who follow the hashtags I used already dipped their toes in the water, after all.