5 ms·

Ask HN: What will it take you to shift to a new social media platform?

4 points by sahil423 2mo ago

PaulHoule 2mo ago
Other people there. Like I have people I like on Mastodon and Tumblr (furs and friends) but I am on Meta platforms too because my family is on Facebook as well as older people that I photograph and younger people I photograph and community organizations are on Instagram, Personally I would really enjoy something that looks like Instagram but is focused on photos instead of images with senseless motion, pictures in text, and loose all the woman advertising their onlyfans. It's downright annoying that Instagram always puts up a picture from my one cosplayer/alt-fashion model IRL friend doing something outrageous because if it wasn't for that I would show people photos I take on the Instagram app on my phone.
deleted 2mo ago
[deleted]
JohnFen 2mo ago
I've successfully left all social media platforms (except HN, if you consider it a social media platform). I would be extremely hesitant to get involved with a new one. But to be tempting, the new platform would have to have no "algorithm" or machine-personalized feed, no tracking, no genAI presence, and most of my friends.
- chistev 2mo ago
  Do you use WhatsApp?
  - JohnFen 2mo ago
    Not as social media. I only use it to talk one-to-one with two friends who are not really contactable any other way.
verdverm 2mo ago
aiming to be and stay small rather than public square scale people running it rather than the investor class something that learns from and builds on AP & AT ideas, but makes permissions and privacy core to the open protocol from the start
- sahil423 2mo ago
  ok seems interesting but in scaling how can be the best model which is resonable to scale as a small company without large investors .
chistev 2mo ago
I don't know. I lost my Facebook account because they suspended me for "integrity issues". I tried and failed to appeal successfully. I was pissed at first because I had had that account for over a decade, but after some months, I was glad to have lost it. I don't use Instagram. I only use Twitter now. Reddit on read-only mode. WhatsApp to talk to people since everyone and their mom is on it. But I'm considering taking a long break from it and seeing if I survive. Hacker News actively. I'm not sure what it would take for me to join another social media platform because they do nothing for me if it's just scrolling through pictures and videos. I love devouring useful information, though, hence my love my HN. So I guess, if a new social media platform comes out that's centered on intellectual conversations (anything that gratifies intellectual curiosity) I'd sign up. Sometimes I think about how I'd need Meta services if I ever start a business, and I hate that thought.
- sahil423 2mo ago
  Oh ok , so if such idea existed what you want it to have to keep you for the longest time on it that it can ?
uberman 2mo ago
I gave up social media years ago and the closest things to it I have are this account and a LinkedIn account that I never ever use or look at. I cant imagine anything that would tempt me to join any new platform as invariably they all devolve into enshitified cesspools.
fsflover 2mo ago
It needs to be a distributed social media platform that does not obey a single for-profit entity and thus won't suffer from enshittification. Example: Mastodon.
- sahil423 2mo ago
  so more like a non profit or under a group of people with different ideas and visions . IS it what will make you interested in ?
  - fsflover 2mo ago
    Yes, the non-profit type of orgs would work. However, in a decentralized, interoperable system, for-profit entities could also work fine, since monopolization is not possible.
MrDrDr 2mo ago
I am currently in talks with a philanthropic organisation about building such a platform. To me the challenge is not technical, it's commercial. How can you build a sustainable business model without adds? I'd be interested in peoples thoughts about ethical ways to monetise such a platform. The goal would be sustainability, not growth.
- sahil423 2mo ago
  Also how to get initally the users to shift from the mainstream social media .
Bender 2mo ago
The closest thing to social media I use is this site and as long as team dang keep doing a great job of moderation I will stay here. Aside from this site my little private and semi-private sites are the only options for me. In my opinion the big platforms jumped the shark long before they went live. Bad incentives, bad motivations, bad operators with bad intentions.
brazukadev 2mo ago
Monetization. All big platforms already have their "kings" and "queens" so it is more difficult to get space.
dlcarrier 2mo ago
I have two requirements: I don't have to disclose personal information, and I nothing is preventing me from using a third-party client. I generally stick with forums, as they usually meet those requirements.
- sahil423 2mo ago
  SO privacy first social media , it is a really nice one but how can we stop impersonification of other people in the long run , any ideas you would like to suggest ?
jumpalongjim 2mo ago
What would a new social media platform offer that existing ones don't? Important to me: my time and the value I get from spending it. To move off X to a new platform the signal-to-noise ratio would need to be better.

4 points by sahil423 2mo ago

Other people there. Like I have people I like on Mastodon and Tumblr (furs and friends) but I am on Meta platforms too because my family is on Facebook as well as older people that I photograph and younger people I photograph and community organizations are on Instagram, Personally I would really enjoy something that looks like Instagram but is focused on photos instead of images with senseless motion, pictures in text, and loose all the woman advertising their onlyfans. It's downright annoying that Instagram always puts up a picture from my one cosplayer/alt-fashion model IRL friend doing something outrageous because if it wasn't for that I would show people photos I take on the Instagram app on my phone.

deleted 2mo ago

[deleted]

JohnFen 2mo ago

I've successfully left all social media platforms (except HN, if you consider it a social media platform). I would be extremely hesitant to get involved with a new one. But to be tempting, the new platform would have to have no "algorithm" or machine-personalized feed, no tracking, no genAI presence, and most of my friends.

chistev 2mo ago
Do you use WhatsApp?
- JohnFen 2mo ago
  Not as social media. I only use it to talk one-to-one with two friends who are not really contactable any other way.

verdverm 2mo ago

aiming to be and stay small rather than public square scale people running it rather than the investor class something that learns from and builds on AP & AT ideas, but makes permissions and privacy core to the open protocol from the start

sahil423 2mo ago
ok seems interesting but in scaling how can be the best model which is resonable to scale as a small company without large investors .

chistev 2mo ago

I don't know. I lost my Facebook account because they suspended me for "integrity issues". I tried and failed to appeal successfully. I was pissed at first because I had had that account for over a decade, but after some months, I was glad to have lost it. I don't use Instagram. I only use Twitter now. Reddit on read-only mode. WhatsApp to talk to people since everyone and their mom is on it. But I'm considering taking a long break from it and seeing if I survive. Hacker News actively. I'm not sure what it would take for me to join another social media platform because they do nothing for me if it's just scrolling through pictures and videos. I love devouring useful information, though, hence my love my HN. So I guess, if a new social media platform comes out that's centered on intellectual conversations (anything that gratifies intellectual curiosity) I'd sign up. Sometimes I think about how I'd need Meta services if I ever start a business, and I hate that thought.

sahil423 2mo ago
Oh ok , so if such idea existed what you want it to have to keep you for the longest time on it that it can ?

uberman 2mo ago

I gave up social media years ago and the closest things to it I have are this account and a LinkedIn account that I never ever use or look at. I cant imagine anything that would tempt me to join any new platform as invariably they all devolve into enshitified cesspools.

fsflover 2mo ago

It needs to be a distributed social media platform that does not obey a single for-profit entity and thus won't suffer from enshittification. Example: Mastodon.

sahil423 2mo ago
so more like a non profit or under a group of people with different ideas and visions . IS it what will make you interested in ?
- fsflover 2mo ago
  Yes, the non-profit type of orgs would work. However, in a decentralized, interoperable system, for-profit entities could also work fine, since monopolization is not possible.

MrDrDr 2mo ago

I am currently in talks with a philanthropic organisation about building such a platform. To me the challenge is not technical, it's commercial. How can you build a sustainable business model without adds? I'd be interested in peoples thoughts about ethical ways to monetise such a platform. The goal would be sustainability, not growth.

sahil423 2mo ago
Also how to get initally the users to shift from the mainstream social media .

Bender 2mo ago

The closest thing to social media I use is this site and as long as team dang keep doing a great job of moderation I will stay here. Aside from this site my little private and semi-private sites are the only options for me. In my opinion the big platforms jumped the shark long before they went live. Bad incentives, bad motivations, bad operators with bad intentions.

brazukadev 2mo ago

Monetization. All big platforms already have their "kings" and "queens" so it is more difficult to get space.

dlcarrier 2mo ago

I have two requirements: I don't have to disclose personal information, and I nothing is preventing me from using a third-party client. I generally stick with forums, as they usually meet those requirements.

sahil423 2mo ago
SO privacy first social media , it is a really nice one but how can we stop impersonification of other people in the long run , any ideas you would like to suggest ?

jumpalongjim 2mo ago

What would a new social media platform offer that existing ones don't? Important to me: my time and the value I get from spending it. To move off X to a new platform the signal-to-noise ratio would need to be better.