Threads’ listing on Apple App Store. (Image: News18)
Amidst intense scrutiny, Elon Musk’s Twitter has forced users to explore alternative platforms. Here are a few Twitter-like experiences you can try.
Elon Musk’s Twitter is facing a lot of scrutiny from all sides, including advertisers who are upset about the app’s “rate limiting,” legacy verified users who are upset about losing their blue checkmarks, and even the Karnataka High Court, which has fined Twitter Rs 50 lakh for not complying with the Indian government.
It seems like everything is happening all at once for Twitter, and people are flocking to rival apps to find an “alternative.”
Twitter staffers are also reportedly feeling low, and Twitter’s new CEO, Linda Yaccarino is looking at boosting staff morale by hosting office events dubbed “Tea Time,” as reported by Insider.
A number of platforms have emerged over time, and Twitter users are constantly migrating from Twitter to those apps, including Twitter co-founder, Jack Dorsey’s BlueSky.
Let’s Take a Look at a Few Twitter Alternatives You Can Try:
Jack Dorsey’s BlueSky
Made by Twitter’s own co-founder and ex-CEO, Jack Dorsey, BlueSky is a take on creating a ‘decentralized’ social media platform that lets users own their data and can take it anywhere they want.” It is built on an open protocol, and that is why “most data,” including, likes, follows, and blocks are public on Bluesky. “Our goal was to make social media work more like the open systems that defined the early web, like blogs and email,” BlueSky claims.
BlueSky is currently in beta and only available to a limited number of users. To join, users can either sign up for the waitlist or get an invite from an existing user. Recently, when Elon Musk rate limited Twitter, there was a surge in interest in BlueSky, and the platform temporarily stopped accepting new users.
Instagram’s Threads App
Meta is in the perfect position to strike the iron while it’s hot, and this is why it is soon launching a Twitter-like app, called ‘Threads.’ “Threads is where communities come together to discuss everything from the topics you care about today to what’ll be trending tomorrow,” reads the app’s description on App Store.
As per Apple App Store listing, the app is coming on 6th July, and will let users keep their Instagram username, and even let users follow the same accounts they follow on Instagram.
Mastodon
Of all the platforms listed, Mastodon is one that gained popularity when Twitter launched its paid service Twitter Blue—which allows users to get a verified blue checkmark for a fee. This led to a sudden increase in the spread of misinformation, which in turn led to impersonation and fraud.
Over the weekend, the platform reportedly attracted a whopping 2,94,000 new users, from the chaos that stemmed from Twitter rate limiting itself—giving people the impression that the app was facing a downtime. Later, when it was revealed by Musk that it was to stop “extreme levels of data scraping and system manipulation,” users were agitated and blamed Musk for trying to create a pay-to-view experience.
Speaking to The Verge, Mastodon CEO, Eugen Rochko, said, “Mastodon is free and open-source software that allows you to create a social media server or platform that connects to a decentralized network of similar servers, all talking the same protocol,” and that the company is growing faster than ever before.
