Is there a viable alternative to Facebook? Should we start one?

[Goodheart]

This secret meeting is the last straw. Zuckerberg is an oligarch.

[abqtommy]

1. I see no benefit to any "social media". Of course any particular media is no better than the person

establishing/controlling it but so far I haven't seen any good coming out of any part of it.

[handmade34]

2. ??

there is maybe some benefit from DU

[abqtommy]

6. I don't consider DU to be "social media". Do you?

[Qutzupalotl]

8. A discussion board, sure.

Not an app, but serves similar purposes.

IMO, DU fosters better discussion than is possible in 280 characters on Twitter.

[NCLefty]

23. It's nearly a 1-way discussion since you don't get notified of replies.

[Qutzupalotl]

44. ? I do.

Coffee hasn’t kicked in yet, so bear with me ... did you mean on DU or Twitter? or Facebook?

[handmade34]

12. yes

https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-social-media-explaining-the-big-trend-3486616

So, What Is Social Media?

The 'social' part: refers to interacting with other people by sharing information with them and receiving information from them.

The 'media' part: refers to an instrument of communication, like the internet (while TV, radio, and newspapers are examples of more traditional forms of media).

From these two separate terms, we can pull a basic definition together:

Social media are web-based communication tools that enable people to interact with each other by both sharing and consuming information.

[WePurrsevere]

25. Social media is more recent term that covers forums like this, chat rooms...

Facebook and Twitter where people gather online to share info and/or just chit chat.

It may not have been called 'social media' back in the 'wild west' days of early chat rooms and forums in places like Prodigy, Delphi, GEnie, CompuServe and AOL but it was 'social' and using 'media'.

Facebook 'can' serve as a positive and helpful tool if Zuck chose to stop playing partisan bs and insisted on FB being neutral. If he doesn't do so soon his actions will deeply wound, if not kill, FB. IME people like Zuck tend to ignore lessons of the past because they think they're smarter so it won't happen to them but ignoring lessons of the past and thinking you're 'too big to fail' almost guarantees that you will eventually fail.

[RichardRay]

34. Of course it is.

I think claiming DU isn’t part of the ‘social media’ spectrum is a case of us GOOD, them BAD.

[cwydro]

49. Sure it is.

I remember back in the day when people even shared pics in the Lounge.

DU is social media.

[woodsprite]

3. I was thinking about that. What would we call it?

DeepBlue?

[dewsgirl]

26. I like it.😊

[at140]

4. Facebook is now far bigger than I ever expected

I can not believe computer software to link people is worth 100's of Billion dollars.
It tells me that people world over are more lonely and more isolated than ever.
And when I on rare occasions click on to Facebook, mostly it is people bragging about what a great time they are having.
Only reason I get on Facebook is to get news about my kids when they are traveling abroad.

[LeftInTX]

21. FB is a social engagement tool also

My freaking calendar is on Facebook! LOL

If you click that you're interesting in an event, it goes into your calendar. Mine is full of mostly political events.
Tomorrow:
Appreciation breakfast for precinct chairs
Women's luncheon with county commissioner


There's much more, but I live one day at a time!!!

[NRaleighLiberal]

5. lunch, writing letters, phone calls?

I've done the arc through social networking and am happily departing.

[milestogo]

7. +1000

[bdamomma]

15. Yea what did

people do before "social media" they fucking communicated with each other. I have FB but I don't spend time on it as a source of news.

[MidwestBluez]

9. Wikipedia's founder just launched WT Social!

New here but figured this is a great time to reply to a post. Wikipedias founder just launched a social media platform that is not about making any type of profit but rather a place for people to communicate(with fact based checking).

Here is a story on it:[https://bigthink.com/technology-innovation/wt-social|

Here is link to sign up: [https://wt.social/|

[justhanginon]

16. Welcome to DU! Will check it out later.

[herding cats]

18. Thanks!

I'll check it out. I hadn't heard of it until just now.

Welcome to DU!

[TheBlackAdder]

24. Thank you and welcome. Great first post!

[WePurrsevere]

29. $13 a month? For some people that's simply not do-able...

IMO a better solution would be to screen all ads and filter out political/religious ads, fake news, scams, etc.

Those who have the funds could subscribe to a totally ads free environment if they chose to.

[edhopper]

33. Where do you see it is $13 a month?

it says it is free and will survive on donations, like Wikipedia.

[WePurrsevere]

36. Oops.. Sorry I forgot to include a link. I looked for a source...

that I'm more familiar with.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/wikipedias-jimmy-wales-has-quietly-launched-a-facebook-rival-social-network/

The site goes against the ad-funded models normalized by Google, Facebook, and Twitter, instead asking users to pay a subscription fee to access information and communicate on the site.

It costs $12.99 a month or $100 a year in the US, or €12 a month or €90 a year in Europe. It's £10 and £80 in the UK. In other words, about the same as a Netflix or Spotify subscription. However, questions remain over what content WT:Social can provide that users would be willing to part with money for.

[edhopper]

39. That article seems to be mistaken

the site itself only says donations and not a monthly fee.

From the site:

We will never sell your data. Our platform survives on the generosity of individual donors to ensure privacy is protected and your social space is ad-free.

[WePurrsevere]

41. It's possible they are but ZDnet is normally very good so...

The question is, where did they get that info from? Are they wrong or could they have info Wiki isn't sharing yet?

Sorry but having been burned a time or two over the decades of being online, I tend to be cautious and cynical of cost and/or ad 'free forever'.

Perhaps you know more about the agenda of the Wiki owner from Alabama off hand? If I knew more about him, his politics, etc I might trust him a bit more.

[edhopper]

42. The whole concept of Wiki

is a public, nonprofit resource. Wiki is one of the good guys.

Why don't you just read his wikipedia page.

[Duppers]

46. I went thru the registration

And "joining" process until it came to the "how do you want to pay" page. They most certainly did ask. Go thru the process and you'll see.

[MidwestBluez]

37. That is to skip the waitlist that they currently have for it.

That $13 a month is to simply skip the waitlist I believe. Just another fyi, this launched on November 6th but has over 200k people wanting to join already. Facebook wasn’t on that pace when they initially started in 2004 as they reached their millionth registered user by their tenth month after creation.

[WePurrsevere]

38. Oh? That's not what Znet said in my previous link. If you have proof

(other than what Wiki is using as bait to get sign ups) that contradicts what they say I suggest you contact them with it. 'Having' to pay to play makes it it a 'no go' for me and probably many others as well.

While I use Wikipedia, and have occasionally donated a few dollars, I don't trust them to be 100% neutral or accurate so why should I trust it to be that way on a social media format? Id love to see FB taken out and this looks like it has a lot of potential but after decades of being on various websites, apps, etc I'm much too cynical now to dive in head first.

[Kurt V.]

31. Bookmarked. thank you!

[Bev54]

10. I wish someone would please start a new site like facebook

[XRubicon]

11. Here is a pretty good list

In reality, they all really don't match up right now. But... if people did shift they could become viable. I remember when MySpace was big and then everyone left and it crashed and burned- so it can happen.

https://eluxemagazine.com/magazine/alternative-social-media-sites/

[Polybius]

13. Let's bring MySpace back!

I'm serious too. If we all logged into our old accounts and posted, it would be back on top.

[XRubicon]

14. If you really think it through, facebook is ripe to be undercut

Look at Netflix, Disney and Apple are challenging yet no one is trying to challenge facebook.

With all the money facebook makes, you would think a big player would take a shot at it. I don't see a start up taking them out but Apple or Google could if they did it right.

[bdamomma]

17. all it would take

is one competitor. I read the Zuckerberg had dinner with tRump, WTF, everyone can be bribed and paid off.

[GusBob]

19. Fact is, the rise of FB coincided with the demise of DU

I remember Skinner commenting upon it back when he cared about this place

Then the election hack killed DU

It used to be a fountain of information and interesting discussions
Now its a backwater of low tide link to tweets and posts shorter than a fortune cookie

Another social media platform would make this place a desert

And the handful of people who camp out here would hate it too

[nini]

20. Myspace could really rebound by playing off the privacy stuff

It's still there .. LOL

[LeftInTX]

22. Too many Democrats are on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/ElizabethWarren/

https://www.facebook.com/berniesanders/

https://www.facebook.com/joebiden/

https://www.facebook.com/KamalaHarris/

https://www.facebook.com/amyklobuchar/

https://www.facebook.com/corybooker/

https://www.facebook.com/pelosiforcongress/

https://www.facebook.com/AdamSchiffCA/

https://www.facebook.com/OcasioCortez/

https://www.facebook.com/barackobama/


I use it mostly for connecting with local politicians. That is where it is actually personal and fun!

[dewsgirl]

28. Everyone I know, uses FB. Most of them, strictly only

get online, to use it. Almost all of them are Democrats.
I haven't used FB in 3 years and don't intend to start.

[blueinredohio]

43. I have never used Facebook and don't ever plan to.

[Johnny2X2X]

27. Facebook practices mind control

It’s subtle sometimes, but if you use Facebook you are agreeing to be the subject of mind control experiments. Every single one of us who uses it believes falsehoods because of it.

[Jirel]

30. Don't be absurd.

It’s no different than reading any other site on the web or in print. If you read only one source, you’ll be in a bubble of a particular world view, or even in a happy echo chamber. Some people are in an echo chamber on Facebook, particularly the far right that is catered to by domestic and foreign trolls to keep them happy and riled. That’s not every Facebook user, and it’s not Facebook itself dong that. They just want your money, and it’s easy enough to refuse that.

[Goodheart]

32. Nah.... I wouldn't go that far.

I've never been mind-controlled by any site. My principal objection to Facebook is that participation is helping to boost the profits and propaganda of somebody who doesn't have the same vision of democracy and society that I do.

[LakeArenal]

35. Never joined FB. Live in a foreign country.

What’s App is way more useful to us.

[OneGrassRoot]

40. I've been promoting this idea for a decade...lol

Some of you may remember me and my site, Wishadoo, which helped a lot of DUers. The site had the same functionality (for the most part) as FB but, other than helping members, I couldn't get enough people to migrate over to use it as a community, with groups and everything. I actually wanted to set it up as a community-owned platform...a co-op.

I had to shut it down a few years ago because I couldn't keep up with the needs and do it all myself. Health crises also interfered.

I don't have any notions of replacing FB. What I envision is a platform of purpose, with similar functionality as FB.

A platform that is a No-Othering Zone. Being anti-racist, anti-bigoted and CARING takes precedence over all the free speech. Privacy, however, is paramount. People who agree with this vision gather to create change and discuss things without fear of overlords like FB.

If anyone is interested, message me. I'm going through the final stages of chemo but with all the latest FB BS coming out, I want to get back to this after the first of the year. I especially want to offer orgs whose values are the antithesis of FB a space for groups, an alternative to FB groups. I don't trust FB at all as far as spying.

[LeftInTX]

47. There is something called MeWe

Which provides the platform without all the maintenance of your own site.

It isn't really an alternative to Facebook. It seems to be a private gathering space. One of my friends was experimenting with it as an alternative, but WeMe is too private to get all the traction that Facebook has.

WeMe is probably great for work collaboration, family and real life friends. Probably not the best for getting the "word out" to oodles of people.

You have to sign up even to see the platform and various groups. And that is the downside. I believe Wishadoo was public which allowed you to "get the word out".

Most groups on MeWe require applying. (I just joined WeMe last night, so I don't know much about it) I don't know if I was able to find my friend because she has a common name.

Someone compared MeWe to Slack. (I haven't joined Slack, so I don't know)

https://mewe.com

[OneGrassRoot]

50. Yes, I'm familiar with MeWe...

and a couple of other similar sites. I think MeWe may be the one where all the Nazis went to when they were kicked off of other platforms. The (understandable) focus on free speech makes hate hard to ban on such platforms. I'm also concerned about privacy with such platforms, at least the ones out there now. Most start off saying the right things about privacy and then $$$ lures lead them down the FB path.

You're right about Wishadoo; it had privacy/closed/secret options but the platform itself was public so people could see what's available.

[librechik]

45. you're soaking in it. DU rocks. n/t

[HAB911]

48. I haven't checked out this site yet

but follow the founder on linkedin

https://civ.works/

[sazemisery]

51. Try counter.social

Edited for link mistake.

I belong to this Mastodon group. It is full of like-minded people and is run by a hacktivist named @th3j35t3r (Twitter handle). You can read about him here: You can read about him on Wikipedia.
He prohibits people whose IP addresses originate in countries known to harbor bot mills and his laptop is in the National Spy Museum.

It is free unless you want to donate via Patreon or become a CounterSocial Pro for $4.99/month. There are perks to the monthly fee.

Try it out!

https://counter.social