There are more than a few reasons to quit Twitter and consider alternatives. With Elon Musk’s new ownership of the app, the future is uncertain for ‘the bird app’, with a possible pay-to-be-verified feature being floated as a replacement for how the app currently functions. The app is notorious for heated discourse, with an algorithm that favors controversy. Plus, like many social media apps, Twitter is an app where you can doom-scroll on an infinite feed, which is not conducive to mental health.
However, if you don’t want to take the leap towards deleting social media completely, here are some Twitter alternatives that can replicate parts of what draws users to one of the world’s biggest apps.
Reddit provides news aggregation and trending topics that in some ways replicate Twitter. The key difference is that Reddit has a feed where you follow communities, called subreddits, rather than individuals. Subreddits are overseen by moderators. In addition, the posts that get popular are based on an upvote/downvote system. You can also sort your feed by best, hot, new, top, controversial, or rising.
Mastodon
Mastodon is an open-source social network. It uses decentralised software, which means it can’t come under the ownership of one person or company. There are different servers for a variety of different communities and purposes, each with its own moderation policy. While its userbase is currently very small compared to Twitter, this can create a community feel that Twitter doesn’t always offer. If you don’t mind the switch in terminology to words like ‘toots,’ ‘instances’ and the ‘fediverse,’ Mastodon might be worth a try.
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Tumblr
Tumblr is a microblogging website where users can post text, images and videos in a personal feed. The website peaked in popularity in 2014, when daily blog posts totaled over 100 million. It is known for having a userbase that skews young, although communities of many varieties have formed on the website. You can reblog posts, chat directly or send public ‘asks’ to other users.
Discord
Discord originated as a social media app for online gamers. It is still used for gaming but has also served as a platform for communities of many different kinds to gather. You don’t have a feed like you do with most social media, but each server has different channels for different topics to chat about over text. Discord also includes video and voice chats. If you don’t know of any servers to join or can’t find one, you can always make your own.
WT. Social
Branded as a ‘non-toxic’ social network where advertisers don’t mine your data, WT Social has a lot to live up to. WT stands for ‘Wiki Tribune’ and similar to reddit, hosts communities called ‘SubWikis.’ The site is ad-free and run by donations. If your main reason for using Twitter was for news updates, WT Social might be a good alternative for you.
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