Twitter has been a mess since billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk took over, cutting the company’s workforce in half, overturning the platform’s verification system, arguing with users over jokes and admitting that “stupid things” can take place as he reshapes one of the world’s most high-profile information ecosystems.
On Thursday, amid an exodus of top executives responsible for data privacy, cybersecurity and regulatory compliance, he warned the company’s remaining employees that Twitter may not survive unless it can find a way to bring at least half of his income from subscriptions.
While it’s not clear if the drama is driving many users away — in fact, having a front-row seat to the chaos might be fun for some — lesser-known sites Mastodon and even Tumblr are emerging as alternatives to new (or refurbished). Here’s a look at some of them.
(Oh, and if you’re leaving Twitter and want to save your tweet history, you can download it by going to your profile settings and clicking “your account” then “download an archive of your data.” )
MASTODON
Sharing a name with an extinct mammal that resembles an elephant, Mastodon has emerged as one of those curious about life beyond the blue bird. It shares some similarities with Twitter, but has some big differences – and not least that its version of tweets is officially called “toots”.
Mastodon is a decentralized social network. This means it is not owned by a single company or billionaire. Rather, it is composed of a network of servers, each operating independently but able to connect so that people on different servers can communicate. There are no ads as Mastodon is funded by donations, grants and other means.
Mastodon’s feed is chronological, unlike Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or Twitter, which all use algorithms to get people to spend as much time on a page as possible.
It can be a little scary trying to sign up to Mastodon. Because each server operates separately, you’ll need to first select one you want to join, then go through the steps to create an account and agree to the server’s rules. There are general ones and interest and location based ones, but in the end it won’t matter much. Once you’re in, your feed is reminiscent of Twitter. You can write (up to 500 characters), post photos or videos and follow accounts, as well as see a general public feed.
“We present a vision of social media that cannot be bought and owned by any billionaire and strive to create a more resilient global platform without profit incentives,” Mastodon’s website states.
The site currently has more than 1 million users, nearly half of whom signed up after Musk took over Twitter on Oct. 27, according to founder Eugen Rochko.
Another option, Counter Social, also runs an ad-free, user-funded, chronological social platform. To prevent foreign influence operations, Counter Social says it blocks access to Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan and Syria. It boasts of offering one-click translation in over 80 languages. It has over 63 million monthly users, according to its website.
CLUBHOUSE
Remember the Clubhouse, when we were all locked up and couldn’t talk in person? It’s the buzzy audio-only app that was somewhat overshadowed by the Twitter Spaces copycat, which also lets people chat with each other (think conference call, podcast, or “audio chat”) about topics of interest.
Once you join, Clubhouse lets you start or listen to conversations on a host of topics, from technology to professional sports, parenting, black literature, and more. No posts, photos or videos – just people’s profile pictures and their voices. Conversations can be intimate, like a phone call, or they can involve thousands of people listening to a conversation with names in bold, like a conference call or stage interview.
SUBSTACK and SECONDARY
For longer reads, newsletters, and general information absorption, these sites are probably closer to the blog era of the early 2000s. You can read both without signing up or paying, but some writers, creators, and podcasters create premium content for paying subscribers.
TUMBLR
Tumblr, which remained dead, seems to be enjoying something of a resurgence. The words/photos/art/video site is known for its devoted fan base and has been home to angry posts from celebrities like Taylor Swift. It angered many users in 2018 when it banned pornography and “adult content,” which made up a large part of its highly visual and meme-friendly online presence, and led to a steep decline in its user base. .
Onboarding is simple, and for those who miss out on the early years of social media, there’s a decidedly retro, comforting feel to the site.
T2 or TBD?
Gabor Cselle, a Google veteran who worked at Twitter from 2014 to 2016, is determined to create a better Twitter. Right now, he’s calling it T2 and says the Internet domain name he bought for it — t2.social — costs $7.16. T2, which may or may not be his last name, is currently accepting signups for the waitlist, but the site is clearly down yet.
“I think Twitter has always had a problem figuring out what to do and how to decide what to do. And that was always in the back of my mind,” Cselle told The Associated Press. “On Monday, I just decided to go for it. I didn’t see anybody else really do it.”
Twitter-style text and TikTok-style videos are one idea. Cselle says for this to work, the text really needs to be “boosted” so it’s not drowned out by the videos.
“My bet is that it will be easier and more efficient to build a better Twitter or public square now than to fix Twitter’s legacy problems,” Cselle added.
Cselle, of course, isn’t the only one jumping on the opportunity. The Mushroom Project, for example, plans a “safe place online – a community-led open source home for creators seeking justice on an overheated planet” and says it has received 25,000 early registrations on its platform so far unlaunched.
“My sense is that things will fragment further into more ideological platforms and some will die and then we’ll see a new consolidation over the next couple of years,” said Jennifer Stromer-Galley, a professor at Syracuse University. who studies. social media.
NEWS PAGES
One of Twitter’s most valuable features has been the way it allows people to find information within seconds. Was it just an earthquake? Twitter will tell you. Or at least that’s what happened.
While there is no perfect replacement for Twitter, staying up to date with local, national and international news is easier than ever. Apple and Google both offer news services that aggregate articles from a wide range of publications (Apple offers a premium subscription service that gives you access to more articles, while Google initially displays stories for free.) There’s also Flipboard, which works as a personal magazine curated for your interests.
Of course, subscribing to individual publications (or downloading a free news app like AP News) is also an option.
Yes, you may have to pay for some of them, and no, you won’t get a blue tick with your subscription.
