this post was submitted on 21 Jan 2025
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Looking for focused alternatives to Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, etc Not just for myself but for my family members and friends who I wish to keep in touch with.. any other threads going on about this? Maybe have a general thread and subsequent migration movements, we really need to act on this social life fascist monopoly we've became hostages to..

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[–] RBWells 6 points 4 hours ago

Facebook is a bad idea. All of those that link back to your real identity seem to get so bad so fast. I have never had one and just text people, email them, visit them in person. I don't need everyone to know everything all the time and can't understand why anyone does.

[–] Subverb 25 points 7 hours ago (2 children)

Why flock anywhere? Lemmy is the extent of my social media sine the reddit API changes.

You don't need social media.

Remember... when you're killing time it's killing you back.

[–] Allonzee 4 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago) (1 children)

Being productive is an effective way to waste one's life.

Maximize wasting time. None of your or almost anyone's works will be remembered.

[–] Subverb 3 points 2 hours ago

Everything in moderation. Including moderation.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 hours ago

Fucking awesome quote. I'm going to keep that one in my back pocket.

[–] SocialMediaRefugee 8 points 6 hours ago

US Postal Service

[–] LovableSidekick 3 points 7 hours ago

You're already here.

[–] ShadowZone 30 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago) (1 children)

Messaging: Signal

Social Media: Mastodon, second choice Bluesky

Instagram: Pixelfed

[–] PM_Your_Nudes_Please 5 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago)

Also, there’s loops.video for reels, since Pixelfed only does images. Loops is running on the Pixelfed platform, and there appear to be plans to integrate the two at some point further down the road.

The biggest issue with Loops right now is that account verification emails seem to be sent out manually by the admins, so it can take a day or two to arrive after you initially create your account. And you can’t use the platform at all until that email arrives. So it’s not exactly the most friendly onboarding experience.

[–] [email protected] 115 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago) (15 children)

What's App : Signal.

Instagram: Pixelfed

TikTok: loops

YouTube: peertube

Xitter: Mastodon (pleroma, akkoma, etc ...)

Google maps: open street map

Reddit: Lemmy 😉

Google search: duck duck go, startpage

I'll let you Google the names of the different apps.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 13 hours ago

Adding in yt-dlp. Not a platform but a useful tool to download youtube videos for archival or redistribution.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 16 hours ago

On phone instead of google maps I recommend Organic Maps! Best way to use open street map.

[–] [email protected] 33 points 18 hours ago (3 children)
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[–] [email protected] 12 points 17 hours ago

Matrix for discord as well.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 16 hours ago

Hotel: trivago....

Ok jokes aside, add to that:

Whatsapp: SimpleX, Matrix Google Photos: Immich Reddit: Lemmy, Mbin, and Piefed

[–] [email protected] 3 points 14 hours ago

Signal: SimpleX

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 hours ago

If all you want is a place to get memes, hello, you're in the least bad place on the internet, the indie web/fediverse.

But to keep in touch with family members and friends, who are likely not techy people?

.... I guess you could get them on Signal?

I mostly talk to my folks through Telegram, but that's as far as I could take them (still consider it a win over using WhatsApp, because Telegram might be full of fascists but at least has an open API and a competent Linux client)

[–] [email protected] 44 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago) (3 children)

90% of these apps are doing nothing good for you. You don't need to replace them, you need to quit them and start touching grass. I'm also talking to myself here.

Talking all day to people you never see physically is damaging your brain.

[–] courval 8 points 12 hours ago

I think you're right but my only issue is permanently loosing contact with old friends from different countries.. If there's a change of phone numbers then I might not be able to contact them ever again..

[–] Magister 25 points 16 hours ago (3 children)

Touch grass? It's -20C/-4F and there is snow outside :-(

[–] [email protected] 12 points 15 hours ago

Ah, then it's obviously take all of your clothes off and go roll around in the snow

[–] [email protected] 5 points 16 hours ago

Touch that frozen grass then :)

[–] [email protected] 10 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

Sure but not what OP asked about

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 hours ago

Not what OP asked, but what OP needed to hear.

[–] [email protected] 36 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago)

Mastodon, Pixelfed, Signal.

Pixelfed is currently experiencing massive growth so that is a good Instagram alternative to focus on at the moment.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago)

There are lots of Fediverse alternatives to social media, including Lemmy (which I guess you know about?) and the ones people have mentioned here already (Mastodon, Pixelfed, Loops, PeerTube). The advantage of the Fediverse is that it can't be co-opted by a single bad actor, in the way that Musk took over Twitter and made it into a Nazi bar.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

There are some interesting ones that have already been mentioned here. But just be aware that they're ghost towns, when compared to the networks they'd be leaving. Their fav creators probably aren't on them, and neither are most of their friends or family.

They have a chicken and egg problem where people aren't on them because people aren't yet on them.

[–] Fandangalo 7 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

I describe to friends as “internet rural life”: things go slower, for now.

That’s how all these things started though. People at church over 50/60 are asking me about bluesky. That’s a good sign for me.

[–] NABDad 5 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

I'd argue that in some ways they are more active. Posting on Reddit was like farting in a hurricane.

In Lemmy there seems to be more interaction. You don't have to get a million up votes for anyone to see your post.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 hours ago

That's true. It's very often I'll get actual replies to things I contribute, which is cool!

I think a lot of the ghost town effect is because other platforms focused on superficial things you don't really see much here. Big sparkly notifs when you get an updoot and meta-currencies and that sort of thing.

I don't get a lot of upvotes on stuff, which sometimes gives the impression nobody's seen it. Furthermore, I find if I respond to something posted older than a few days or a week? That convo is dead. Haha.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

WhatsApp -> Simplex

I recommend Simplex over signal because its not tied to your phone number and has no identifiers.

The first messenger without user IDs

https://simplex.chat/

[–] 9tr6gyp3 15 points 14 hours ago (2 children)

Though I agree with it being a good recommendation, Signal is BY FAR easier to set up and have people use. I think that's what will help adoption.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 13 hours ago

Discoverability is the issue. It is one of the main reasons Signal sticks with phone numbers.

Everyone in my contact list is a potential Signal contact. That's useful. Chat is still private.

If I want secret chats, I use Simplex.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 12 hours ago

WhatsApp: Matrix.

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