As criticism of Instagram, TikTok and X grows in the EU, developers have been working on European social media apps. But can they compete? DW answers the key questions.
Social media lives from its userbase. The article continues to mention one or more apps per country. This divides the userbase and makes the apps pointless. Meanwhile european politicians continue to post on X.
Reminds me of the ole joke when 3 left wingers meet they form 4 new splinter parties.
There is a difference between decentralisation and not talking to each other.
The Fediverse is dezentralisation. Multiple platforms hosted on myriads of servers that all can talk to each other and each platform’s and server’s userbase accumulates.
When a third of Twitter’s users switch to Bluesky, another third to Eurosky and the last third to W Social, it means users on either platform now only can talk to a third of the people they could reach before.
Meanwhile european politicians continue to post on X.
The same politicians also like to constantly appease US fascists while trying to normalise genocides in the Middle East and copying moves from the exact same playbook of ‘how to destroy democracy with right-wing populism and culture war’.
So maybe, just maybe, it’s not the lack of alternatives (or even the need to have one) but their intentions that make them flock to and stay on that platform.
Social media lives from its userbase. The article continues to mention one or more apps per country. This divides the userbase and makes the apps pointless. Meanwhile european politicians continue to post on X.
Reminds me of the ole joke when 3 left wingers meet they form 4 new splinter parties.
There is nothing ‘pointless’ about decentralization.
There is a difference between decentralisation and not talking to each other.
The Fediverse is dezentralisation. Multiple platforms hosted on myriads of servers that all can talk to each other and each platform’s and server’s userbase accumulates.
When a third of Twitter’s users switch to Bluesky, another third to Eurosky and the last third to W Social, it means users on either platform now only can talk to a third of the people they could reach before.
I get that as well. There are advantages to not having the entire world be a part of your group. It’s not pointless.
But you don’t need to have everyone on separated plattforms to not have the entire world be part of your group.
The same politicians also like to constantly appease US fascists while trying to normalise genocides in the Middle East and copying moves from the exact same playbook of ‘how to destroy democracy with right-wing populism and culture war’.
So maybe, just maybe, it’s not the lack of alternatives (or even the need to have one) but their intentions that make them flock to and stay on that platform.