“The social-media landscape changes incredibly fast, so you have to be open-minded and nimble to keep up with it.” —Alexis Ohanian, Reddit cofounder
It’s the biggest. It’s incredibly, wildly popular. Uber-simple to access and use. But does that make it the best? Well, the jury may still be out on that. But it’s a “must have,” right, because if not Facebook, then what?
It appears more folks are asking themselves those or very similar questions. For example, did you know the social media behemoth experienced its first-ever dip in daily users during the last quarter of 2021? Considering the ongoing concerns over tracking and privacy issues, security breaches, and censoring, few folks would find the decrease surprising. However, the first quarter saw the numbers rebound, and more with an increase to 1.96 billion daily users.
While there’s no question that, currently, Facebook is the dominant platform, will that always be the case? One can only guess. But borrowing wisdom from a popular idiom, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket, ” makes sense. And should prompt a “Why not see what else is out there?” response from both regular folk and businesses alike.
Why not, indeed? Because the words that come to mind next are those generally attributed to Sir Francis Bacon and also used by Thomas Jefferson: “Knowledge is power.” So that nudge—sometimes it’s more like a shove or a jolt—to explore other options shouldn’t be ignored because you owe it to yourself as the keeper of the company’s best interests/ major decision maker/top-dog on the marketing team to check out what’s out there in the constantly-expanding world of social media. Right?
Absolutely. So, here goes. Let’s take a peek at the social media platforms often labeled as alternatives to Facebook.
1. MeWe
“No BS. No Ads, No Targeting, No Newsfeed manipulation,” proclaims MeWe, the platform officially launched in 2016 by Mark Weinstein. MeWe notes that they “challenge the status quo by making privacy the foundation of online social experiences.”
Their features include a dedicated newsfeed for close friends, business and fan pages, chat features, open and private groups, and voice messaging features.
Users: 16 million as of January 2021
2. Minds
Launched in 2015 by Bill Ottman, John Ottman, and Mark Harding, Minds is “dedicated to Internet freedom. Speak freely, protect your privacy, earn crypto rewards and take back control of your social media.”
A unique Minds’ feature incorporates its cryptocurrency that subscribers earn by creating engaging content. These Minds tokens can be used to promote posts or exchange for cash or other cryptocurrencies.
Users: 6 million +
3. Vero
The app-only service boasts no ads, no algorithms, and no data mining, stating they are “Optimized for connection, not addiction, putting you in total control.”
The US-based company, launched worldwide in 2015, is majority-owned by its cofounders (CEO Ayman Hariri, Scott Birnbaum, and Motaz Nabulsi) and the team members.
Users: 1 million (February 2018)
4. Mastodon
Launched in 2016 by Eugen Rochko as a decentralized alternative to Twitter, Mastodon has seen an upsurge in new members since the recent shuffling about of matters at Twitter.
Mastodon offers organizations the opportunity to host their own social media platform on their own infrastructure, removing the worry that dependence on an outside company could change the rules of the game.
Users: 4.4 million and growing!
This is but a tiny glimpse of a few of the many social platforms, each striving to “one up” Facebook in some fashion or another. With a variety of emphasized focuses that seek to home in on a distinct approach, these platforms pack a punch of creative energy that’s certainly worth further exploration.
Should your company become active in each one? Maybe . . . but not necessarily. Should your organization delete its Facebook presence? Probably not. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer.
And that’s a fact that ASJ Partners understands well. That’s why you won’t ever find “cookie cutter” marketing plans promoted to our staffing agency clients. We specialize in unique, customized, and highly targeted marketing programs that zero in on the uniqueness of each of our clients. Want to know what ASJ Partners can do for you? Of course, you do. We’ll be waiting for your call or email at 610.930.5300 or weneedhelp@ASJpartners.com.
