01-11-2021 , 10:51 PM
Quote:Facebook and Twitter are undeniably popular, but they're not the only social media platforms to consider. Tom Merritt discusses five alternative social media networks that focus on user freedom.
Diaspora: It's been around for awhile and has more than a million users. Servers are independently run, and users own their data.
Minds: This open source network has more than two million users and prides itself on a lack of censorship. The network focuses on news feeds, blogs, groups, and general discovery features. It uses peer-to-peer advertising and allows you to monetize your content.
Mastodon: Probably the most familiar and most similar to Twitter, it operates on open source servers and has a 500 character limit. It uses anti-abuse tools, and moderators may step in quick.
Sola: You don't follow anyone with this network. AI and user reaction spread information, trying to match quality content with people who would be interested in it. Any user can host a Sola node. It prides itself on being immune to blocking and censorship. Sola splits money it makes from ads, user payments, and partnerships with all of its users.
Manyverse: This one stores data on user devices instead of servers and syncs using a platform called Scuttlebutt--this makes it usable offline. Data can even be synced directly between devices over Bluetooth.
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