There is a Twitter-shaped hole in the social media world. How to fill it?
Is Twitter now extinct, as many claim, or does “X” serve the same function? The initial idea for Twitter, founded in 2006, was a public short messaging service (SMS) with a maximum length of 140 characters per post. But the platform has drastically changed since then, rendering its initial purpose null and void.
In theory, the idea of a universal SMS platform is great– it’s efficient and accessible. In practice, however, the short-form promotes reactionary and inflammatory discourse.
The billionaire owner of X since 2022, Elon Musk has recently become Donald Trump’s adviser and head of the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Musk has done nothing but damage since being appointed as Trump’s right-hand man. Trump signed an executive order expanding Musk’s powers, which are being used to downsize the federal workforce and leave many unemployed.
Understandably, X users have become critical of Musk and are consequently leaving the platform. Even an Ottawa city council committee debated whether or not to remove City of Ottawa accounts from X.
Critical users are left wondering what other options are available. There is a Twitter-shaped hole in the social media world. Should we be looking to fill it?
People are turning to Threads (Meta-owned), Mastodon, and Bluesky as alternatives.
Why are people leaving X?
Changes in user experience
If you’re leaving X because it’s not what it used to be and no longer meets your needs, try Bluesky.
Bluesky is another popular alternative to X. Bluesky, currently an independent company, originated as a research project within Twitter in 2019. Bluesky was created by then-CEO of Twitter Jack Dorsey, with the objective of developing a decentralized social media standard. After Elon Musk bought Twitter (now X), Bluesky split off and became its own business, with its development increasing.
With similar functions such as comments, likes and retweets, Bluesky exists on an open source protocol. The AT Protocol in practice means anyone can build on top of it; in the same way you can use email to start a newsletter business, you can use Bluesky to start your own social media feed.
MIT Technology Review commented, “Bluesky enables users to collaborate on verification and moderation by sharing block lists and labels. Letting people shape their own experience of social media is nothing short of revolutionary.”
Critics warn users, however, that the data you spread on Bluesky is stuck there because no other servers run the AT Protocol.
Increasing hate speech
If you are looking to leave X because of the increasing amount of hate speech on the platform, try Threads.
Threads is a Meta-owned platform. Users reported enjoying the algorithm, which is similar to Instagram, and creates an accurate ‘For You’ page.
The character limit on Threads is one of the longer ones–500. Since it is Meta-owned, Threads comes with the same downfalls as Instagram, namely the lack of fact-checking.
However, if you are a frequent Instagram user, Threads might be for you since its connection to Instagram makes it easy to share Threads posts on IG.
Bot takeovers or ownership
If you’re leaving X because of the presence of bots (automated accounts) or the ownership of the platform, try Mastodon.
Mastodon is another alternative people are turning towards. Mastodon, released in 2022, is the largest decentralized social network on the internet. ‘Decentralized’ essentially means the site is hosted on decentralized servers, which are not owned by one person or company. Those leaving X due to its ownership may favour this alternative for that very reason.
Mastodon hosts several servers, like Reddit or Discord, which you need to select when you sign up. The platform has similar functions to X including hashtags, boosts (retweets), but a larger character limit–500 characters.
However, you won’t be able to download a Mastodon app. The platform uses apps created by others in the interest of decentralization. Some are concerned about the lack of verification tags on accounts.
Mastodon creator Eugen Rochko has discussed this user concern: “So there are two ways to address it, the first is getting rid of fake accounts, and the second one is how do you know the account you are seeing is the right one. Getting rid of fake accounts depends on reporting.” Overall, users interested in decentralized platforms should consider Mastodon.
While we have become dependent on social media for information sharing, we must still be conscious of the platforms we use. There are several alternatives to X that will better suit your needs and address your concerns.
