For me, Mastodon developed into a small, quiet space where I shared the odd post from my RSS feed and mostly talked about Linux and web dev. I gave up on it going mainstream ~3 years ago. Seeing it featured in CNN, Time, BBC, NYTimes, etc., is surreal.

If history is any indication, though, this current wave will eventually crest. The question is: what % will remain, and what kind of community will they build? Us old-timers have to remember that we only get a vote, not a veto.