{"id":24159,"date":"2022-12-17T00:05:08","date_gmt":"2022-12-17T00:05:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/12\/17\/twitter-chaos-too-much-there-are-plenty-of-other-options\/"},"modified":"2022-12-17T00:05:08","modified_gmt":"2022-12-17T00:05:08","slug":"twitter-chaos-too-much-there-are-plenty-of-other-options","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/12\/17\/twitter-chaos-too-much-there-are-plenty-of-other-options\/","title":{"rendered":"Twitter chaos too much? There are plenty of other options"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Twitter has been engulfed in chaos since billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk<\/a> took the helm, cutting the company\u2019s workforce in half, upending the platform\u2019s verification system, reinstating previously banned accounts \u2014 including those of white nationalists \u2014 and suspending journalists who’ve been covering him.<\/p>\n

While it\u2019s not clear if the drama is causing many users to leave \u2014 in fact, having a front-row seat to the chaos may prove entertaining to some \u2014 lesser-known sites Mastodon and even Tumblr are emerging as new (or renewed) alternatives. Here\u2019s a look at some of them.<\/p>\n

(Oh, and if you are leaving Twitter<\/a> and want to preserve your tweet history, you can download it by going to your profile settings and clicking on \u201cyour account\u201d then \u201cdownload an archive of your data.”)<\/p>\n

MASTODON <\/p>\n

Sharing a name with an extinct mammal resembling an elephant, Mastodon has emerged as a front-runner among those curious about life beyond the blue bird. It shares some similarities with Twitter, but there are some big differences \u2014 and not just that its version of tweets are officially called \u201ctoots.\u201d <\/p>\n

Mastodon is a decentralized social network. That means it\u2019s not owned by a single company or billionaire. Rather, it\u2019s made up of a network of servers, each run independently but able to connect so people on different servers can communicate. There are no ads as Mastodon is funded by donations, grants and other means. <\/p>\n

Mastodon\u2019s feed is chronological, unlike Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or Twitter, which all use algorithms to get people to spend as much time on a site as possible. <\/p>\n

It can be a tad daunting to try to sign up to Mastodon. Because each server is run separately, you will need to first pick one you want to join, then go through the steps to create an account and agree with the server\u2019s rules. There are general and interest- and location-based ones, but in the end it won\u2019t really matter. Once you\u2019re in, the 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. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe 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,\u201d Mastodon\u2019s website says.<\/p>\n

Currently, the site has more than 2 million users, nearly a quarter of whom signed up after Musk took over Twitter on Oct. 27, according to founder Eugen Rochko.<\/p>\n

POST<\/p>\n

Another option that’s getting a lot of chatter, especially among journalists, is Post News. Post, writes founder Noam Bardin \u201cwill be a civil place to debate ideas; learn from experts, journalists, individual creators, and each other; converse freely; and have some fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

But, for now, there’s a long waitlist to join. <\/p>\n

CLUBHOUSE<\/p>\n

Remember Clubhouse, back when we were all under lockdown and couldn\u2019t talk in person? It\u2019s the buzzy audio-only app that got somewhat overshadowed by copycat Twitter Spaces, which also lets people talk to each other (think conference call, podcast or \u201caudio chat\u201d) about topics of interest. <\/p>\n

Once you join, Clubhouse lets you start or listen into conversations on a host of topics, from tech to pro sports, parenting, Black literature and so on. There are no posts, photos or videos \u2014 only people\u2019s profile pictures and their voices. Conversations can be intimate, like a phone call, or might include thousands of people listening to a talk by boldface names, like a conference or stage interview. <\/p>\n

SUBSTACK and MEDIUM<\/p>\n

For longer reads, newsletters, and general information absorption, these sites are perhaps closest 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. <\/p>\n

TUMBLR<\/p>\n

Tumblr, which was all but left for dead, appears to be enjoying somewhat 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 porn and \u201cadult content,\u201d which made up a big part of its highly visual and meme-friendly online presence and led to a large drop in its user base. <\/p>\n

Onboarding is simple, and for those who miss the early years of social media, there\u2019s a decidedly retro, comforting feel to the site.<\/p>\n

T2 or TBD?<\/p>\n

Gabor Cselle, a veteran of Google who worked at Twitter from 2014 to 2016, is determined to create a better Twitter. For now, he\u2019s calling it T2 and says the Web domain name he purchased for it \u2014 t2.social \u2014 cost $7.16. T2, which may or may not be its final name, is currently accepting signups for its waitlist, but the site is clearly not yet functioning. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think Twitter always had a problem in figuring out what to do and how to decide on what to do. And that was always kind of in the back of my mind,\u201d Cselle told The Associated Press. \u201cI decided to just go for it. I didn\u2019t see anyone else really doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Twitter-style text and TikTok-style videos are one idea. Cselle says for this to work, the text really has to be \u201camped up\u201d so it\u2019s not drowned out by the videos. <\/p>\n

\u201cMy bet is that it\u2019s going to be easier and more efficient to build a better Twitter or public square now than fix the legacy problems at Twitter,\u201d Cselle added.<\/p>\n

Cselle, of course, is not the only one jumping to the opportunity. Project Mushroom, for instance, plans a \u201csafe place on the internet \u2014 a community-led open-source home for creators seeking justice on an overheating planet\u201d and says it has received 25,000 early signups to its yet-to-launch platform. <\/p>\n

\u201cMy sense is that things are going to further fragment into more ideological platforms and some will die and then we\u2019ll see some new consolidation emerge over the next couple of years,\u201d said Jennifer Stromer-Galley, a professor at Syracuse University who studies social media.<\/p>\n

NEWS SITES<\/p>\n

One of Twitter\u2019s most valuable features has been the way it allows people to find information within seconds. Was that just an earthquake? Twitter will tell you. Or at least it did. <\/p>\n

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 broad range of publication (Apple offers a premium subscription service that gets you access to more articles, while Google shows free stories first.) There\u2019s also Flipboard, which works kind of like a personal magazine curated to your interests. <\/p>\n

Of course, subscribing to individual publications (or downloading a free news app such as the AP\u2019s AP News) is also an option.<\/p>\n

Yes, you might have to pay for some of them and no, you won\u2019t get a blue check mark with your subscription.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n