Ask HN: What social media site could replace Twitter? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: What social media site could replace Twitter?

#141

Post by blitzar » Tue, Nov 01, 2022, 8:37 AM UTC

verisimi wrote: post #131

blitzar wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> parroting the apparent consensus opinions > People should try to become a bit more resilient of diverse opinions Why is it hard to accept the "diverse opinion" that children were shot and killed at a school shooting, and that their parents were not actors trying to steal your guns from you? Does it trigger you that you didnt need to form a crew and go round and set them straight? Here is a diverse opinion for you -…

Is it ok not to believe everything that is shown on TV? Is it ok not to believe that the government there to help? Can having an unpopular opinion (opinion, not an action) be hateful? Does it demand action from self-appointed custodians of morality? Do you know the truth? Do you know the difference between right and wrong? Is it ok to act against someone who says 'wrong things'?

> opinion, not an action

Holding an opinion is not an action.

Going on twitter and banging on about your opinion is an action.

Re: Ask HN: What social media site could replace Twitter?

#142

Post by yur3i__ » Tue, Nov 01, 2022, 8:38 AM UTC

mradek wrote: post #11

I think the "blue check" verification on Twitter is its most powerful asset. The most important people in the world (culture icons, heads of state & companies, and subject matter experts) congregate there to share their thoughts. Personally I think Twitter would work best if it was left to be just that. I don't think anyone really cares about what I have to say, for example. I'm just some random guy who works at a so…

> Personally I think Twitter would work best if it was left to be just that. I don't think anyone really cares about what I have to say, for example

This hasn't been my experience of twitter at all, I follow far more unverified people than I do verified and I know I'm not the only one that does. Communities like football (soccer) twitter aren't built on a few large verified accounts but, as far as I can tell, by mass participation more akin to reddit.

Re: Ask HN: What social media site could replace Twitter?

#143

Post by Ambolia » Tue, Nov 01, 2022, 8:38 AM UTC

imgabe wrote: post #116

shp0ngle wrote: post #113

Lots of people are on Telegram nowadays but then I follow a lot of Russian and Ukrainian sources so that’s why. It’s very popular there. I still don’t know how they make money though. It’s shady.

I keep hearing about people getting information from Telegram, but when I open it, it's just a list of chats with my contacts. I don't see any way to follow or otherwise see posts from people I don't already know that are just broadcast out to the general public. Am I missing something?

You can search for "public channels", but you need to enter the exact name, or get a link to them.

Re: Ask HN: What social media site could replace Twitter?

#144

Post by blitzar » Tue, Nov 01, 2022, 8:41 AM UTC

remarkEon wrote: post #138

The vast majority of commenters here fundamentally misunderstand what Twitter is, or rather what it has become. It's not a "social network" anymore. I mean, it is in the technical sense - you and I can both sign up for an account. But what it is today is an elite coordination mechanism, and Twitter became this because it was the first of it's kind and some sort of momentum or technological inertia put us where we're…

wtf is an "elite" anyway?

The richest people in the world ... but not the ones that agree with me?

The politicians ... but not the ones on my side?

The athletes ... except for my team?

Re: Ask HN: What social media site could replace Twitter?

#145

Post by blitzar » Tue, Nov 01, 2022, 8:43 AM UTC

klabb3 wrote: post #118

blacklight wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

ActivityPub has been around for much longer. I consider Nostr and Bluesky rip offs of what ActivityPub has been trying to build for more than a decade.

From AT protocol (bluesky) FAQ: > Why not use ActivityPub? > [...] Account portability is the major reason why we chose to build a separate protocol. We consider portability to be crucial because it protects users from sudden bans, server shutdowns, and policy disagreements.

> Why not use ActivityPub?

Because we want it to be open and free - but we think we should be the ones that owns it.

Re: Ask HN: What social media site could replace Twitter?

#146

Post by blacklight » Tue, Nov 01, 2022, 8:44 AM UTC

klabb3 wrote: post #118

blacklight wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

ActivityPub has been around for much longer. I consider Nostr and Bluesky rip offs of what ActivityPub has been trying to build for more than a decade.

From AT protocol (bluesky) FAQ: > Why not use ActivityPub? > [...] Account portability is the major reason why we chose to build a separate protocol. We consider portability to be crucial because it protects users from sudden bans, server shutdowns, and policy disagreements.

Account data migrations are already supported on ActivityPub. If they didn't like the way they are implemented, they could have extended the specs. Building a completely new protocol just because you want to support account migrations your own way is just dumb.

Re: Ask HN: What social media site could replace Twitter?

#147

Post by zahrc » Tue, Nov 01, 2022, 8:44 AM UTC

verisimi wrote: post #112

afinlayson wrote: post #62

It'd be nice if there was a platform that was specifically designed for People, not bots / propagandist. Corporations should need to pay to be identified as such, and we should know when a person vs a corporation says something. Does this exist... not that I've seen. Vanity metrics like number of users have become real metrics for valuation... until that's broken we can't have these discussions. But my biggest proble…

> It'd be nice if there was a platform that was specifically designed for People, not bots / propagandist. I don't know how you can say this, when they were/are one of the main drivers? Did anyone ban Hillary Clinton from speaking? No. But, nevermind characters such as Alex Jones etc, they banned the sitting president from speaking on their platform! Whatever your political position, I find it amazing that banning op…

> Instead, it seems everyone wants to live in a comfortable echo chamber, parroting the apparent consensus opinions

Isn’t exactly this happening on the other side of the fence as well?

Re: Ask HN: What social media site could replace Twitter?

#148

Post by bratbag » Tue, Nov 01, 2022, 8:44 AM UTC

verisimi wrote: post #136

IAmGraydon wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Trump and friends were attempting to weaponize social media, and they were successful. They were causing harm in the real world. That’s why they were banned.

That's your opinion. And I'd argue that you can have it. I'd argue for your right to say what you like, even though I disagree. In reverse, can you see how for others, the weaponisation has already occurred, and that they (trump etc) are already feeling the sharp end? Actions were taken to ban them after all. Btw, I don't vote or care about the political charade at all, I'm not red or blue. My point is that if it is…

Not everything is just an opinion.

Thinking that everything is, is a symptom of consuming certain types of agitprop.

Re: Ask HN: What social media site could replace Twitter?

#149

Post by ryzvonusef » Tue, Nov 01, 2022, 8:44 AM UTC

how about we don't fall into mass hysteria and wait?

People don't move from platforms, they drift away naturally.

I didn't move away from slashdot, I just found reddit suited my needs and naturally visited the site less and less.

and then, I didn't move from reddit to HN, I just used reddit less and less until I realized HN fit my niche more.

I still have my slashdot account, but it's been unused since 2014

with reddit, I deleted my account in a fit of depression... but hilariously I still visit the site regularly (much easier to track my various entertainments there), i just no longer comment there.

----

I don't user Instagram because, I just don't... get it? Too old for it.

I deleted Facebook when I realized all my extended family was on it and I just didn't to see them on social media.

Who knows how I'll fare with Twitter. I rarely tweet (honestly, because I am afraid of speaking on the platform, public speech is dangerous in my country) but I regularly use it, because where else will I get my instant updates?

So I will go where the updates are.

Re: Ask HN: What social media site could replace Twitter?

#150

Post by blacklight » Tue, Nov 01, 2022, 8:45 AM UTC

geuis wrote: post #132

blacklight wrote: post #110

Millions have been using the Fediverse for years, I haven't looked back for the past two years myself. It's built on open protocols and it's multi-platform by definition. You can even follow your Twitter accounts from Mastodon. So what exactly are you folks waiting for, and why do I have to keep hearing the "is there an alternative to social network X" question every couple of days? Just jump on any Mastodon instance…

> Millions have been using the Fediverse for years Any evidence for this? Seems like this is something a few hundred or thousand even know about. That's a far cry from hundreds of thousands of millions.

There are 6M estimated accounts, and 1.5M active users: https://fediverse.party/en/fediverse/