10 Social Networks That Aren't Facebook
January 15, 2021
Looking for an alternative to Facebook? Let’s take a peek at the top choices in social media sites and what each offers.
Diaspora
A great word that means the migration of people from their ancestral homeland, Diaspora is a decentralized platform that’s been around for over a decade. “Decentralized” in that nobody owns it. So, there are no ads and nobody to sell your data—as many social networks such as Facebook do. Diaspora isn’t actually one network but a series of networks they call “pods.” Join an existing pod or start your own, using your real name or a pseudonym.
Vero
Vero is another ad-free option, and there are no algorithms that target your timeline to predict what the hive mind thinks will grab and hold your attention. They do collect some usage data, which they display, but you can turn that function off. It’s an app, so only available on mobile devices, and one geared toward sharing content including videos, photos, and links.
Ello
Yet another ad-free option is Ello, which is less like Facebook and more like Pinterest, billing itself as a “global community of artists dedicated to creative excellence.” If you’re an artist, or just into art, this is a great place to go and connect with others. But it's much more than artists and creative types displaying their works. You can put together a network of friends and group them accordingly; your real pals go into a Friends category and the rest you can list as Noise.
MeWe
MeWe resembles Facebook: you can create a list of friends, post on a timeline, and get content in a feed. But your feed only has people you follow and news sources you choose with no algorithms. MeWe is also ad-free and doesn't sell user data. At the end of 2020, it was one of the most popular social networks with over 12 million users.
Minds
Resembling Facebook in terms of features and overall layout, Minds prides itself on uncensored free speech, though it does make efforts to minimize hate speech. Minds is a blockchain social network that incorporates cryptocurrency. You can buy and earn tokens on the platform, using them, for example, to boost posts or to earn money on popular posts. Transact with other cryptocurrencies and you can convert your Minds tokens into cash.
Mastodon
A relative newcomer, Mastodon bowed in 2017 and immediately drew comparisons to Twitter, notably for its unsorted chronological feed. As an open-source decentralized platform, it doesn’t have an owner, and so there are no ads and you control your own data. But it’s not the Wild West in terms of content; they have moderation guidelines that weed out hate speech and similar nasty stuff you see on other networks.
Sociall
With its Facebook migration tool, Sociall courts users from the social-media behemoth—you can keep your Facebook profile and newsfeed. The platform is decentralized, ad-free, doesn’t sell user data, and has privacy protection measures that ensure anything you post won’t show up in search engine results. Sociall is also a blockchain-based network that has its own cryptocurrency.
Yubo
We’re pretty sure you love your mother. But as a Facebook friend who sees all of your social media activity? That won’t likely be a problem on Yubo, as the social network is geared toward users from ages 13 to 25. It’s particularly popular with teens, offering them a way to make friends with other teens; users over the age of 18 can’t interact with those under and vice versa. Yubo is all about live streaming, solo or in group sessions of up to ten fellow streamers.
EyeEm
EyeEm began as a mobile photo-sharing app in 2011 but has evolved into a platform that’s drawn comparisons to Instagram. But it’s not just a place where you can connect with other users and post images—you are able sell content. Put your photographic images into the platform’s marketplace and EyeEm can licenses to the content to buyers such as Getty Images, giving you a percentage of the profits.
WT.Social
Created by Jimmy Wales, co-founder of Wikipedia, WT.Social has dubbed itself the “non-toxic social network.” Much like Wikipedia, contributors can edit content that they think is misleading, and the platform takes a hard stance against misinformation in general. Free from ads and algorithms, the social network is mainly for users who want to discover and share news.
Facebook isn’t going away anytime soon, so maybe you don’t want to hop on the #deletefacebook train just yet. But if you want to check out something a little different, there are some great social networking sites out there.
Written by William McCleary for Knockaround.
