I tried Twitter alternatives so you don't have to
Part 2!!!
This is a continuation of Part 1. If you haven’t done so already, be sure to go check it out
Hive Social
This was the only app I was worried about from a security standpoint. A report from a few months ago warned potential users about its critical vulnerabilities, but there have been improvements since then. Hive Social is only available as an app and when I went to download the app on the App Store I saw its ratings were a dismal 3.2. It has all the key features of Twitter and its interface looks strikingly similar to Instagram.
Hive Social’s features
Its chronological feed only shows posts from users I follow, but there’s a “Discover” tab that shows posts from topics that I chose when signing up. Though you can create text-only posts, everything on the “Discover” page was an image. At the top, it shows trending posts on the platform, which was 90% selfies and 5% photos from the gym. In a way, it reminded me more of Tinder. Out of all the platforms, this one was definitely the most NSFW, which the platform allows as long as the content is tagged.
As stated on their website, a key aim of Hive Social is to create a better experience for users through “self-expression features”. All the features they listed are already available on Twitter, except the function of playing a song on your profile page. However, it’s currently disabled and is said to be back soon. On the App Store, it lists in-app purchases as a second, third and fourth “Profile Playlist Slot”. The platform doesn’t have ads, so these profile playlist slots are its current only source of revenue (once they’re fixed).
Truth Social
I was genuinely curious about Trump’s app and if it really is dominated by misinformation and far-right conspiracy theories as reported. Its preview on the App Store claims that the app is for:
“Open and honest conversations without discriminating on the basis of political ideology.”
I should not have been surprised to find that once I made an account, I was shown a “Suggested Profiles” page that recommended following Trump as the first suggestion.
Truth Social’s features
Out of all the apps tested, Truth Social’s interface is the most similar to that of Twitter. However, a very significant difference is that each “tweet” is called a “Truth”. Past reviews of the app have called it buggy but I didn’t find any issues with the technical aspects of the app, so there must have been significant improvements since these reviews.
To test their claim that they don’t discriminate based on political ideology, I tried to find accounts that weren’t right leaning or conservative. When I searched for mainstream news networks like CNN and The New York Times, all I found were dubious or parody accounts. On the profiles of neutral accounts dedicated to topics like food and travel, ads appeared after every few posts promoting Trump, advertising guns or were linked to right-leaning news outlets.
Truth Social is definitely a platform where Trump and his ideas dominate. A study by the Pew Research Center from November 2022 confirms this, saying that half of the accounts examined have openly stated that they’re right-leaning or pro-Trump in their profile, higher than any other social media platform.
Writer’s Opinion: So should we ditch Twitter for these platforms?
The key features of Twitter that we’ve become accustomed to, like liking, reposting, following and hashtags, are still present in all the alternatives. However, each platform has their own unique features that are summarized in the table below:
After finishing the piece about Truth Social, I immediately deleted it from my phone. The content on Hive Social makes you feel like you’re on Tinder, which is not something I particularly want for a social media platform. Though you can explore content by specific topics, like tech and art, there was much less activity compared to the . I like Mastodon’s concept, but I feel like its technical complexities would prevent it from being accepted by the mainstream.
Post was the platform that gave me the most frustration while navigating because of its technical flaws, but it’s the only platform I tried that I can actually see myself using. The reason: people and organizations I recognize are on the platform. Accounts I follow on Twitter like Hank Green and news organizations like ProPublica and Reuters frequently post there, so there is a greater sense of familiarity. I did end up replying to people that commented on my post and I felt like I was interacting with real people and having proper conversations. But I’m not sure whether this would last once Post grows and content moderation is no longer able to keep up.
Twitter has become so much more than just a social media platform where users share information and react to current events. Politicians and celebrities use Twitter to make important announcements. Journalists, academics and fans of celebrities or content creators have all found their niche Twitter communities to find others with shared interests. Yes, I’m annoyed by the ads and the constant changes on the platform, not to mention how Musk treated Twitter employees. But the reason I use Twitter is for the community. So for now until more people I recognize join these other platforms, be it my friends, celebrities or organizations, I’m afraid that I will have to stick to Twitter.
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