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Alternatives to the "F-word"? [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2025-01-12

Regarding social networks: I’ve found myself torn. I have long felt trapped by Facebook, and have been eagerly awaiting a serious competitor. But my friends and family are still on Facebook, and it’s difficult to walk away from Facebook’s enormous captive audience.

There are reasons to consider it, though. Facebook has decided to eliminate its fact-checking program, which given how much disinformation flows through Facebook, seems problematic. It could be that Zuckerberg and the board are just being pragmatic with respect to fact checking, since they all know that MAGATs plan to so disruptive during Trump’s upcoming term that there’s no way that he can hire enough fact checkers to keep up, and he’s not going to get any help from U.S. federal agencies these next four years. Still, I’ve given up predicting the end of the Facebook socialopoly, because of Facebook’s unbeatable network effects that I noted in 2010. Zuckerberg seems to be ruthless competitor, using Facebook’s billions in cash flow to maintain Meta’s/Facebook’s dominance.

Still, it’s going to be mind-blowing just how much misinformation will circulate on Facebook for the next four years. It would be nice to have an alternative to Facebook, should Zuckerberg start rigorously defending Trump’s and Musk’s contorted view of free speech or perhaps bring more “masculine energy” to Facebook. Competition is good, and alternatives are good.

Where should we advise our friends and relatives to go to share cat pictures with the rest of the family? I realize that BlueSky seems to be the choice for Twitter refugees, but what about friend and family chatter that we don’t want to share with the rest of the world. What should we be pushing folks toward?

Here’s a list of some options that I’ve researched, as well as articles and tools to help find alternatives.

Facebook-like alternatives I have some experience with:

Twitter-like alternatives that MIGHT be possible to use like Facebook

Other websites (like blogging platforms) that MIGHT be possible to use like Facebook

Discord <https://discord.com> — Folks that use Slack at work might want to use something similar to Slack at home, but not show up as active in Slack in case their boss wants to ask them one quick think. It’s easy to set up a Discord server and share stuff with friends and family that one invites to the server. That is, assuming they accept the invitation...

<https://discord.com> — Folks that use Slack at work might want to use something similar to Slack at home, but not show up as active in Slack in case their boss wants to ask them one quick think. It’s easy to set up a Discord server and share stuff with friends and family that one invites to the server. That is, assuming they accept the invitation... Medium < https://medium.com > — Blogging platforms are great for talking at each other rather than with each other. Everyone has relatives that are the person that just won’t shut up, and if you don’t, maybe it’s you! I ’m @robla on Medium if you want to get talked at by me over there.

Substack <https://substack.com> — I’m @robla on Substack if you want to read my wordy posts over there.

<https://substack.com> — I’m Pixelfed <https://pixelfed.org> — this is an Instagram knockoff, but distributed!

<https://pixelfed.org> — this is an Instagram knockoff, but distributed! Tumblr <https://tumblr.com> — They’re going to have to reinvent themselves as something, no? Maybe as a Facebook competitor?

Vaporware that might be worth paying attention to:

surf.social <https://surf.social> — rumor has it that they’re opening up soon.

Research on alternatives As a good Wikipedian, I’m going to cite my sources here:

My lists above are my attempt to do a comprehensive list of alternatives to Facebook for Americans who are at least slightly to the left of center. What did I miss?

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