Need An Alternative to Twitter And Elon Musk? Check These Out
Elon Musk #ElonMusk
If you’re troubled at the imminent acquisition of one of the world’s largest social media sites by the world’s richest man, rest assured there are alternatives.
Elon Musk’s offer of $54.20 a share for Twitter (TWTR) – Get Twitter, Inc. Report was accepted by the company’s board Monday.
The move paved the way for the “Technoking” of Tesla (TSLA) – Get Tesla Inc Report, who also controls SpaceX, and the Boring company, to run his very own social media company.
Skeptics are, shall we say, atwitter.
After all, Musk has used his tweets to promote a bogus take-private plan for his car company; impugn the character of someone working to rescue a group of kids trapped in a cave; and hype a cryptocurrency that was itself started as a joke.
Few alternative platforms have the same reach as Twitter, but perhaps that’s as much a benefit as it is a downside.
Here are a few other candidates to consider.
Ello
Ello? Ello?
This Facebook alternative was launched in 2014 as something of an artists’ collective.
“Facebook and Tumblr aren’t really social networks at all—they’re advertising platforms. Their mission is to sell ads,” co-founder Paul Budnitz told Vice at the time. “Not to make you happy. Not to show you beautiful art. Not to connect you with friends. To sell ads. Period. Everything else is illusion.”
Reddit, which was founded in 2005, retains a geeky function-over-form look. Users are faced with seemingly endless sub-reddits on any and all topics imaginable.
Privately held Advance Media holds a significant stake in the company.
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Reddit spawned the somewhat infamous meme-stock craze for companies like AMC Entertainment (AMC) – Get AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. Class A Report and Gamestop (GME) – Get GameStop Corp. Class A Report. But it’s still not a consumer-facing platform in the same way that Twitter, Instagram and Facebook are.
Discord
Speaking of games, folks dedicated to the gaming industry have their own special place online called Discord.
It’s closely tied to the development of massively multiplayer online games, particularly because it made it easy for audio to be shared.
It allows the formation of small groups as well, where voice and video chat are straightforward and users can share games and more.
Usage reportedly surged during the pandemic.
TikTok
TikTok relies on its short-form videos and endless user-generated content to hook users into lengthy sessions.
It’s very much a performance-oriented platform, one that allows for the possibility of gaining large audiences for people who might otherwise have a hard time achieving their 15 minutes of fame.
If your problem is with Musk and not huge tech companies in general, then Instagram may be a reasonable place to consider.
Its initial focus on sharing photos has expanded, along with phone cameras, to include videos as well.
And it is well integrated into its parent Meta Platforms’ (FB) – Get Meta Platforms Inc. Class A Report other offerings, notably Facebook.
Other Platforms
Sentimental social media folks might also consider MySpace. Once bigger than Facebook, it’s still around, serving mostly as a music news platform.
Other candidates to consider for social media purposes include:Alphabet’s (GOOGL) – Get Alphabet Inc. Class A Report YouTube, Microsoft’s (MSFT) – Get Microsoft Corporation Report LinkedIn, Facebook, the decentralized Mastodon platform and Tumblr.
Of course, if none of these hold any appeal, you can also just start your own social media platform and design it to suit your needs. Just look at how well that worked out for Truth Social.