Discord offers regular text chat within its server-based channels, as well as seamless voice chat and some other experiences, like streaming a game to friends or queueing up YouTube videos together. Like Mastodon, Discord doesn’t offer a giant “public square,” instead offering topic and interest-based servers that anyone can join and hang out in. The app was originally created to give gamers a better way to chat, but since then it has expanded well beyond that initial vision. If any of this sounds interesting, it’s definitely worth checking out.Ī beginner’s guide to Mastodon, the open source Twitter alternativeĭiscord doesn’t really work like Twitter at all, but hear us out - it’s one of the best social apps around. That said, if you’re tired of the cynicism and harassment on Twitter, the vibe on Mastodon is pretty chill right now. Mastodon’s open source nature means you’ve got more choice all around, but the downside of that is that the extra steps might be off-putting to people who want a more straightforward sign-up process. Like a choice of server, you’ll also have a choice of which app to use to use the service on mobile (we like Metatext and plan to check out Ivory, from Tweetbot maker Tapbots). You can still follow and interact with people on other servers so you don’t need to agonize too much over that choice, but that decentralized ethos colors the whole experience. If you get sick of it or disagree with those moderation decisions, you can migrate elsewhere. Unlike traditional social networks, Mastodon is an open source option, which means that rather than all users being in one big basket with one set of rules, you’ll need to select a server (smaller basket) to join. But that’s mostly where the similarities end. Mastodon works a lot like Twitter, allowing users to share real-time thoughts to an account and re-share posts by others. The service is designed in a way that decentralizes power and moderation decisions, obviating the concerns about one person setting platform-wide rules based on a whim. Mastodon emerged as the most-discussed home for fleeing Twitter users - and with good reason. While we’re all figuring it out and seeing what pops up next, here are some options to consider. Twitter wasn’t perfect, and while it was and arguably still is pretty essential for real-time events and news-gathering, its most engaged users didn’t always enjoy spending time there.

Decentralized projects offer a different experience that’s less beholden to corporate whims while less traditional social platforms might serve up a totally different set of interactions and experiences. Whether that means building a following for your fledgling business or connecting with people in communities you care about, social media should serve a function - not just drain away the hours in the day. Users should get something out of the exchange, particularly on ad-supported services. We don’t just have to use social apps because they’re there and they’re really sticky. Twitter’s current situation - advertisers leaving, Nazis logging back on, little things breaking here and there every day - presents an opportunity to check in with ourselves about what we really want out of a social network.

Still, there are plenty of social apps that might be worth substituting into your obsessive timeline-checking routines if you’re done with Twitter for whatever reason (we can think of plenty). There’s no 1:1 Twitter replacement - not yet, and possibly not ever.

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