What Are The Best Alternatives to Facebook and Twitter? Here Are Our Choices
People aren’t happy with Facebook and Twitter right now. From the selling of personal data, censorship, user suppression, and foreign interference, the social media giants are finding disillusioned users are quitting their platforms.
There are been some notable defections from both Twitter and Facebook, from across the political and social spectrums. Star Wars actor Mark Hamill quit Facebook to protest the platform’s failure to stop fake news and manipulative ads. Sen. Ted Cruz and many Republican politicians joined Parler over Twitter’s censorship of President Trump, while allowing the dictatorship of Iran to post anti-Semitic content.
The real problem for people sick of Facebook and Twitter is the lack of a consensus over an alternative. While there are plenty of worthy choices, none have emerged as the go-to platform.
However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give these platforms a try. The Week In Nerd is active on some of these platforms, so this list will reflect some of our general reactions.
We encourage you to give these platforms a try, as many have some very active communities.
MeWe – Our favorite alternative to Zuckerberg’s monster. They feature no ads, no censorship or suppression, and no tracking of user data. MeWe was the chosen destination by Google+ users when that platform shut down. With a single click, you can posts just from pages or groups you follow, which is much more efficient than Facebook’s newsfeed, which throws posts together at random. There is a $1.99 fee to create a page, which helps fund the platform.
Parler – The platform saw a dramatic jump in users after Twitter was highly criticized for censoring the political posts of some users. They don’t track or sell user data.
Gab – A solid platform design and a large user base.
USA Life – A simply-designed Facebook clone shows some strong user interaction, even though the user base is small. The lack of a smartphone or tablet app hurts.
Mumblit – A Facebook alternative. A simple but effective platform, but a smaller user base. Has lots of potential.
Minds – A self-described “Crypto Social Network,” Minds is a decentralized platform that offers no moderation, which many users like.
Spreely – A Facebook alternative. Has some positives, but it needs more users, a stronger platform design, and a more functional app.
Mastodon – A decentralized social media network, with no central server like most social media platforms.
BeamMe. This is a fairly new site – it opened in February of 2021 – but it has a solid, Facebook-like design and nice features. Privacy is a priority for them: the site doesn’t track user data, but it does ask for you to list interests, which it uses for ads. It has a small but growing user base, so it has potential. No smartphone app yet. You can visit The Week In Nerd profile by clicking here.
Another social media alternative we recommend – if you are a movie and TV lover – is LikeWise. It works like a social media platform, but is built around the discussion and recommendation of film and TV.
Post your recommendations on any other social media platforms in the comments section below.
Hey, there’s a choice that respects user privacy, it’s a strong platform. Has all been the features you get with big Tech. just no creepy stuff like going through users data like messages.
it’s free and launched in February. we’re at about 12,400 users. I wish we had more users, we make money off advertising, we ask people their interests anD hobbies.
if you can promote BeamMe as an alternative, we’re all about changing the industry, the industry won’t change, but we offer an alternative, it’s a good, reliable and secure Platform. Excellent features, we show more text in posts, if you have something to say, we give you the space.
but it’s an excellent platform, excellent privacy controls and security. And no scanning of messages, no creepy following people everywhere they go on the internet, proper respect for privacy.
Thanks Shane! We added BeamMe to the list and created a page for The Week In Nerd. It looks like a great platform, let us know any updates! – Vic Medina, Editor-in-Chief
Wt.social can be another alternative. It is non-toxic network, without hoaxes ETC.