BlueSky Social: BlueSky Social is a decentralized social network protocol that includes Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey on its board of directors. At the moment one can only join BlueSky by invite only. While the media has publicized BlueSky a good deal, from what I have read and heard from the few people I know who are on it, BlueSky has had its share of problems. Unless they have made changes in the past few weeks, BlueSky does not have a button to block other users, one of the most basic and desired features in a social media service. I have also read that as of yet they do not have direct messages.
As to content moderation at BlueSky Social, thus far it has been a work in progress. BlueSky recently published a set of Community Guidelines that are set to take effect on July 14 2023. As to the presence of trolls on BlueSky, I have read conflicting accounts. Some claim trolls are unknown there, while others claim they are very common.
Hive Social: The first version of Hive was launched in the Apple App Store in October 2019. It was followed by a beta Android version in November 2022. As of yet, there is no version of Hive Social for the web, which could keep away some users away (I know I prefer to access social media services on my computer, not my phone). The German hacker collective Zerforschung raised concerns about security issues at Hive Social on November 30 2022, in which personal data, private posts, and even deleted direct messages could possibly be accessed through a hack. Hive Social shut down for a time to fix the problems.
Beyond the security issues raised last fall, I really have not heard too much about Hive Social. I do know that it has no character limit on posts, which many might not find desirable in a microblogging site.
Mastodon: Mastodon is the oldster among the Twitter alternatives listed here. It was launched in March 2016. Mastodon is not really one social media service, but a federated network of self-hosted social media services (the various servers are referred to as "instances"). That is to say, it is decentralized. Mastodon has received its share of criticism for its structure, which some perceive as making moderation difficult.
I have been on Mastodon since October 2022. Largely because of Mastodon's decentralized nature, I know there have been concerns expressed about its content moderation in the past. That having been said, I have not encountered many trolls since I have been there and I have not seen any major problems as of yet. Of course, here I have to point out that I can really only speak for the instance I am on and the instances my followers are on. There could be Mastodon instances where they do have problems with trolls and so on.
I also have to point out that Mastodon lacks anything similar to "quote tweets," a feature common to other microbloggers. Also, its direct messaging is not truly private, as a Mastodon moderator can read them.
Post: I have to admit that I know very little about Post, also known as Post.news. It launched in late 2022. Post is open to anyone, but its primary focus is news and the discussion of news. I am not sure, but I do believe that Post can be accessed through the web. They have an app available for IPhones, but as of yet they don't have an Android app. One thing that separates Post from other microblogging services is that journalists and news outlets can post articles that are behind a paywall. That is, users pay to read the article. I am not sure about the various features on Post, but last I heard they did not have direct messaging yet.
Spill: Spill is one of the newest microblogging services, having just launched in June 2023. Spill has two Black founders, namely former Twitter employees Alphonzo “Phonz” Terrell and DeVaris Brown. In a video interview, Mr. Terrell said of Spill, "We are here to build a place that centres Black folks, queer folks and other marginalized groups, we're not tolerating any hate."
Spill's feed has two tabs. On the left is what is called "Fresh Tea," which consists of trending posts, and on the right is "My Brew," which is posts from people one follows. The one drawback is that currently Spill is only available through Apple, although an Android app is in development. As of yet, it can't be accessed on the web.
Spoutible: Spoutible is one of the microblogging services listed here that I am on and I have already written about it on this blog. Spoutible was launched in February 2023 and founded by Christopher Bouzy, who had earlier founded Bot Sentinel (an analytics service that tracks disinformation, inauthentic behaviour, and harassment on Twitter). Along with Spill, it is a Black owned social media service. Spoutible's focus is on protecting its users, and it relies on the same technology as Bot Sentinel to help fight against disinformation and targeted harassment.
Spoutible resembles Twitter a good deal. It has its equivalent of retweets (called "echoes") and quote tweets (called quote echoes). It has its equivalent of Trends (called "Making Waves") as well. It also has direct messaging. One big difference between Twitter and Spoutible is that there is no feed sorted by algorithm. Its feed is sorted in reverse chronological order. Given how many of us hate feeds sorted by algorithm, this is actually an asset. Another difference between Spoutible and Twitter is that on Spoutible one can edit a spout (as posts are called) up to seven minutes after having posted it. This is very useful in correcting typos. Spoutible is available on the web, and it has apps for both Android and Apple.
I have been on Spoutible since April and I am thoroughly enjoying it. I have not experienced any harassment there and it seems as if trolls are dealt with very swiftly. Proportionately, it seems to me there is more in the way of people of colour on Spoutible. I have actually encountered proportionately more people of Native descent there than on other social media sites. What is more, the users on Spoutible seem much more willing to interact with each other. I have fewer followers on Spoutible than on some social media sites, but I have much more in the way of interaction.
Threads: Threads is Meta's new service meant to compete with Twitter. The media has hyped Threads, often referring to it as a "Twitter Killer." I don't think it is anything of a kind. First, Threads is little more than an extension of Instagram. In order to have a Threads account, one must first have an Instagram account. In fact, one's Threads account has the same user name, password, and account name as their Instagram account. Of course, this means that if someone deletes their Threads account, their Instagram account will be deleted as well (or vice versa). I rather suspect most people who do not already have Instagram will not create an account just to use Threads.
Second, like Instagram, one's Threads feed is displayed by algorithm and there is no way to display the feed in reverse chronological order. While Twitter has its own algorithm sorted feed, I know of no one who uses it. Indeed. for those who get their news from social media, a feed sorted by algorithm is useless when it comes to breaking stories. A feed sorted by algorithm is also useless when it comes to live posting movies, TV shows, and events. #TCMParty originated on Twitter and has expanded to other microblogging sites. I can't see it expanding to Threads. Anyway, it would seem that when it comes to microblogging services like Twitter and Mastodon, people prefer their feeds to be displayed in reverse chronological fashion. Indeed, I have to point out that people have been complaining about Instagram's algorithm sorted feed ever since it was introduced in 2016.
Third, to make one's Threads feed even worse, it displays posts from accounts one does not even follow. This happens at times on Instagram with suggested posts, although one can dismiss them for thirty days at a time there. I have not heard this is the case with Threads. Fourth, Threads does not use hashtags, something common to nearly every other microblogging service, from Twitter to Tumblr. This seems a bit strange, given Meta's two major products, Instagram and Facebook (where hashtags are rarely used), do. Fourth, Threads does not have yet other features common to Twitter and other similar social media services. It does not have direct messaging or a web version.
Fifth, there have been privacy concerns with regards to Facebook and Instagram for years. Both social media services are notorious for gathering data on their users. Many people have neither a Facebook account nor an Instagram account for precisely that reason. Even some individuals who already have Facebook or Instagram might not be willing to join Threads out of concerns for privacy. Quite simply, it appears to be even more invasive than either FB or Instagram. The app collects data on one's health and fitness, financial information, browsing history, purchases, contacts, and so on. Indeed, Threads is not currently available in the European Union, in part because it doesn't comply with the EU's regulatons regarding privacy.
Here I have to point out that this is not the first time Meta/Facebook has tried something similar to Twitter. In fact, it is not even the first time they have tried something called "Threads." In 2021 a "Threads" option was introduced on Facebook itself. It operated similar to Twitter threads, in which additional new posts could be linked to an initial post. That version of Threads never took off and was gone by the end of 2021. While millions of people have downloaded the 2023 Threads app, I don't think it will turn out to be the "Twitter Killer" the media seems to think it will be. It is clear that Threads is unsatisfactory for many Twitter users, who will be more likely to try one of the other Twitter alternatives.
It is clear that, at least as long as Elon Musk remains in control of Twitter, that its days are numbered. At the same time, it is also clear that people still want microblogging services like Twitter. It remains to be seen if any one of the emerging Twitter alternatives will dominate the others or if there will be number of alternatives going forward.
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