Elon Musk’s ‘fixing’ of Twitter could lead to new popularity or even migration from Twitter to other platforms, and it’s already begun.
A big topic at the moment is where people will move to if Twitter falls between the cracks and doesn’t work out the way Elon Musk plans it to. From firing executives to bringing back the former president, people don’t have much hope for the ‘free speech’ Twitter that Elon is trying to create for us.
Apps like Tumblr, Discord, TikTok and Instagram have all been reliable things to fall back on, although they don’t fit the same criteria. Recently people have begun speaking of apps called Mastodon, Hive Social and Tribel, which all share similar features to Twitter in terms of their microblogging outlet, but they’re equipped with more features that make them unique.
Mastodon has you sign up with a server and allows you to see your feed, follow creators or friends and see their content on the app. It is one of the more complex of the many newer offerings and allows users to create new servers, all with different rules and focuses. While it may seem daunting at first blush, it is surprisingly similar to Twitter once you get past the convoluted setup process. There are notable differences, like you can’t quote a post, but once you get the lay of the land, it is much easier to grasp the platform’s nuances.
Hive Social has bans on hate speech which sets it apart from other platforms. When someone clicks on your profile, you can select a song for them to hear upon opening it, allowing people to get to know the kind of music you enjoy with just one click, creating a closer sense of community all around. Hive is really a place to get to know people and what they’re into, rather than sharing thoughts all the time.
Tribel presents us with a very personalized platform, having posts go directly to the audience you want to reach, and it has a very flexible feed which is tailored to you, as most social media strive for. They pride themselves on being bigotry-free and very peaceful, that small detail making them different from Twitter. Tribel is a place to share thoughts in a more controlled environment, having peace rather than starting arguments over the platform.
Recently alternative apps for Twitter have been hitting new heights as millions of users depend on those platforms for everything they had done on other social outlets. It’s not as though these platforms hold no flaws, No newly popular platform is without its kinks. Much like Twitter struggled when it first launched, all these new platforms have some growing to do before they are at the same level, but they all show promise, and while there may be bugs currently, give them time to grow as more people join and the audience finds a way to make it their own.
