Where to migrate to when the Twitter bird dies
Social media platforms come and go. Some faster than others. Some manage to shift and stay. In the case of Twitter, the end is near. News of unpaid bills, raised bigotry and the ever-unpredictable Elon Musk keeps piling up. The inevitable seems true: bye bye birdie.
But where to next? What platform is similar to short-form microblogging Twitter? Here are 3 possible alternatives:
1. Mastodon
What makes it like Twitter?
Although the character limit is different, Mastodon lets you write and interact with people in the form of short text with the possibility to add photos and videos. Just like Twitter the platform consists of a couple of timelines: people you follow, people that share the same server space, and all people on Mastodon. You can send DM’s. You can mute and block content and people. You can basically do all the same stuff that you find on Twitter.
What makes it different?
First of all, no quote tweets. The developers chose not to implement this feature because it oftentimes does not add anything valuable or positive to the conversation. It’s often times used to amplify a message towards your echo chamber or to gaslight someone’s opinion. Secondly, no central server or command. There isn’t a singular leader on Mastodon. The platform consists of different servers and admins of those servers. This means that each server has its own rules, pricing (oftentimes free), and features (some decide to update frequently, others don’t). Those different servers create a bit of a challenge when first using the platform. You have a bit of a ‘where am I and where are all the others’ vibe. But people are super helpful and will guide you through it.
2. Hive Social
What makes it like Twitter?
Hive social supports short-form text, photos, and videos that can be shared on your feed. The platform is tolerant towards NSFW content just as Twitter (which is different from Meta platforms and Tumblr for instance). Hive dubs itself the Gen Z version of social media and can probably be compared to the love child of Tumblr, Twitter, and Instagram.
What makes it different?
The app and its curated content are way more visually appealing than Twitter with a focus on imagery more than text. Communication is closer to what Reddit or Instagram feels like with a threaded conversation underneath a post instead of a continuous timeline. The app isn’t big in Belgium yet but it’s always nice to experiment.
3. Post
What makes it like Twitter?
Post, created by ex-Wazer Noam Bardin, focuses on news and real-time information. The platform can be described as a place for “real people, real news, and civil conversations.” The app will oppose any government’s attempt to censor speech on its platform but also has rules, which they plan to rigorously enforce via content moderation, with the help of its community. Content can be shared on the platform.
What makes it different?
Post is currently in bèta and has a long waiting list. I’ve used it for a couple of days and people currently seem to figure out what to do on the platform. So it’s not quite clear yet what the distinctive feature of the app will be. But I’ll keep you… posted.
Whatever platform you choose, always remember to use social media in a social way. Talking as a decent human being to other humans.
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