Hey y’all, alternate social media is hard to start because first you have to get a significant number of people you already know on there. People are generally followers, no offense intended as I’m including myself in the category of “People.” If you’d like to see what else I’ve had to say about social media, I’ll direct you to a previous post where I discussed the full circle concept of social media.
My favorite social media platform of all time will probably always be Google+. Google+ failed primarily because it was launched full scale before it had a core group of users, even though it had more users than Twitter. The advantage that Facebook had then is the same one it has now. You already know lots of people on there. You know more people who are on there than who aren’t. I joined at a time when I desperately needed a new group of friends, and the platform was ideal for that purpose, both locally and widespread.
Just so you know, only roughly 20% of Americans have a Twitter account. I don’t know the ratio for Parler, but the thought police pervading Facebook and Twitter is resulting in a lot of people branching out there. MeWe and Gab have also seen an increase, but for right now Parler is the place to be for true free speech. It is more similar to Twitter than to Facebook and I hope it evolves as it grows. It isn’t as polished as Twitter yet, but it’s improving. If you’d like to give it a try, my handle is CoffeeSwirls. Unexpected, right?
I’ve also been seeing an uptick in users joining MeWe. MeWe feels more like Facebook and has an interesting component to it. It is free to use, but you can upgrade your experience. For a small fee you can unlock night mode, which I am considering. You can also add more emojis, which is crazy because there are already too many. In return, they don’t flood you with all sorts of adds for hair loss formulas and ED pills. But I’m a middle aged dude, so you may get something different. Here is how to find me on MeWe.
In discussions, it has been suggested that I try Gab. Gab doesn’t have an app on the Google store. They say it is because Google disagrees with their free speech. If that is true, why is Parler on the store? I have an account there, but among the new groups it is a distant third, at best. I don’t want a fifth social media account. Frankly, four is more than I want.
I am also a member on a few Discord servers. I have no idea what I’m doing there.
I have no intention of ending my Facebook account. Twitter either. The biggest benefit of Facebook is that my FB account is my login for some other websites. I should probably address that sooner rather than later. I must say that it is refreshing to see other platforms where people can communicate openly without fearing the ban hammer just because some neutral third party has a different agenda. That ban makes both Facebook and Twitter a PUBLISHER, which is another discussion altogether.
Also, neutrality is a myth.
This is true for Fact Checkers, political posts, religious proclamations, jury selections, and governor lockdowns. Everyone enters every decision with presuppositions. To deny this, you must either lie or you must be unaware of your own leanings.