Don’t know if this goes here or in /AskLemmy, but just wanted to know the best FOSS social networks, why are there so good? What would be the propietary equivalent?
Mastodon (like twitter)
Lemmy (of course, like reddit)
Pixelfed (instagram, but I haven’t used it)
Also try to look at fediverse website, there you can find more.
Manyverse/Scuttlebutt is cool for the ability to function with or without internet infrastructure, it can be updated over USB sticks if really required, I like this because it works for people in very remote or developing countries.
I think Mastodon deserves a special mention, simply because I feel it has a comparably big userbase compared to most alternative networks and it’s a well working twitter alternative with some genuine improvements over the “original” thing.
The most mature one I think is #Mastodon. Equivalent to Twitter. For Instagram alternative I love #Pixelfed. For facebook alternative I’ll say #Minds is the most mature but the problem there is lack of moderation and is home for many conspiracy theorists. There are others that try to be an alternative to Facebook but IMO need more maturing. Those are Friendica and Diaspora.
What is Minds? I’ve never heard of that one.
Minds is a bit FB-like. I used them for years at a time when they had encryption as somewhat of a default (though it was confusing). I quit over 6 months ago when they changed. I might go back because I’d like to join some protest movements. I’d like to see a breakdown of what servers this social media sites are using so that censoring server co.s such as AWS/Amazon can’t pull the plug on them like was done with Parler. I love Lemmy’s large ratio of tech-savvy people, but it is certainly left-leaning and not very tolerant of other voices. I am bisexual, atheist, vegan, female, a minimalist, tree-hugger, often date outside of my race, but Lemmy members still call me a rightwinger and try to throw me out of this or that group. We need a chart outlining servers, general politcal stance, who runs it (how much it is controlled and how), if a phone number is needed and what kind of phn # is accepted, if IP is necessary, etc. These details are extremely important. EX: without ever signing in, Google/YT knows I am using TOR (and may give an error message to say as much) and also knows my IP or IMEI or possibly my mac address - some identifying fingerprint - not sure which. Also, knowing what type of encryption is avialable and if by default would help. I’ve seen a decent chart somewhere with some of that, but it needed to be more indepth.
That’s a fair point but I think it’s important to create some clear distinctions here in how this these software projects are analyzed and compared.
lemmy.ml is a left leaning community. There is nothing about lemmy itself, it’s design or implementation that make it left leaning inherently. If a right winger wanted to start a lemmy instance they could.
hmmm, good idea. a libertarian instance might be nice. I dislike left and right equally. Both are too demanding and intrusive. i’ll let the right do thier own thing without me.
What would distinguish a libertarian instance from lemmy.ml in your opinion?
less censorship. less “that’s not okay here”. less throwing around of sentences or words that are meant to silence you (as though by silencing you, that changes you!). Smacking people over the head with your “truth” works for some, but makes enemies of others. Libertarians usually don’t do that. They discuss things and each of us learns or understands better - even if we don’t change our minds, we don’t shut down conversation and can become more tolerant because now we understand how the other feels or thinks without the drama of name-calling, crying/shouting, shunning/shame…those are manipulative tactics that insult one’s intelligence. There has been a feeling on most social media that what I say is being logged to be used against me for the cancel-culture to use and/or that I cannot speak freely. I’ve almost given up on social media…or, on humans. Lemmy.ml isn’t so far left that I cannot handle it, but I really like open dialogue and think I am open-minded enough to learn from it - if it is presented in a logical, precise, timely (blunt, short) manner.
I think there’s a difference between censorship and safe spaces if there are codes of conduct and everyone knows what they’re signing up for. With the current dominance of capitalism, neoliberalism, and the rising threat of the far right, I have no desire to spend my time online in areas where that’s merely reflected and regurgitated. In fact, the only reason I joined Lemmy was because I understood it to be leftist or anarchist friendly and I’m really utterly sick and tired of seeing FOSS forums infested with intolerance and hate speech. So the idea of a space where people can just ignore pronouns, or use transphobic, sexist, racist, ableist, antisemitic, Islamophobic language because to stop them is labeled “cancel culture” is quite abhorrent to me, though there are loads of such places online already existing and thriving. Telegram is full of white supremacist and bigoted channels and groups and the far right flow freely through corporate media, so if I can just for once not have to deal with that shit, that’d be nice. (Thanks Lemmy, keep up the good work)
I’m pansexual, nonbinary, vegan, and anarchist, and I think it’s really important for there to be safe spaces online where the Parler type perspective is not welcome; where bigotry and hatespeech is not welcome - I agree in the sense that there has to be a transparent code of conduct so that people know what they’re signing up for, and thankfully a heck of a lot of Fediverse instances offer that.
I certainly think everyone should have a safe space, but that it needs to be a smaller, more intimiate space - such as a friend’s house would be or a private group within a social network. I hate hearing negative talk about women, yet still think incels and misogynists should have a right to their own group. Sometimes all people want is to talk out their frustrations and not act them out. Sometimes once they get that off their chest, they chill out a little bit. I’ve never been on Parler and fear the tyranny of “the Left” as much as that of “the Right”. Quite frankly, i feel squeezed uncomfortably by both sides and not allowed to be independent-minded. Call me sexist, but women seem the worst about social bullying. I guess they need larger goals in life so that they are more occupied with their own danged business to mind mine. I think we need to allow polite open discussion and not be so quick to shout someone down. Our react might be more productive if we handled it by rational discussion rather than by emotional outbursts. I don’t feel at home in a Conservative Atheist group, either - tried that and didn’t like it. But, I cannot ask others to change for me - and, can only hope they don’t expect me to change for them. I refused to change for my own family and have mostly disowned them. Why some ‘offended’ person thinks they can change me, idk why. I don’t play that shame-game. Perhaps more middle-of-the-road or Libertarian-minded people simply need to learn tech more and start their own groups so that Left and Right don’t continue to squeeze them out.
I mean traditionally the people who were techies have generally been “middle of the road Libertarian minded people”. Just look at the founding of the EFF.
I grew up very conservative and then became libertarian, and now I’m anarchist/socialist. I think a lot of people have had a similar journey as me in tech. Increasingly more and more tech people are waking up to the ways they’re being shafted by their bosses and they aren’t happy with it.
In the 90s it was easy to believe in a utopian sort of capitalism. The USSR had just fallen, jobs were booming, and even after the dotcom crash, most engineers were well paid even if they weren’t particularly good at their job.
But code boot camps, machine learning, outsourcing, the corporate harvesting of open source, have all put greater pressure on the average techie. This is why there’s so much backlash against Elon Musk, because people are starting to get tired and see through the schtick. Techno utopianism has worn thin. Where’s my mfing flying car?!
And in addition to that, when Trump was elected, a lot of anti-racist libertarians looked around and realized how many of their “libertarian” friends who ranted all the time about “State’s Rights” were really just white supremacist chucklefucks. The Libertarian movement online has split. A lot of people went one way or the other.
I’ve never been on Parler and fear the tyranny of “the Left” as much as that of “the Right”.
My only issue with this is that the Left, at least in America has no power. Who is “the Left” to you? Biden? Biden is not really very Left at all. AOC? She has a platform and no power. Are you afraid of Spotify kicking Rogan off their platform? Spotify the capitalist tech monopolist that rips off artists?
Leftists in America are basically powerless fringe weirdos.
Whereas right wingers are literally most of our government. And they have drones and they kill people with those drones.
I like the EFF - what I know, at least. I am against the fascism of BigTech and that is what I hear you describing - though I am no political expert or tech graduate. I’ve seen how they try to replace developers with immigrants from India and China - who they also take advantage of. I think most people think of Big Biz when they think of capitalism, but in my mnd, it is a world mostly full of small businesses and mostly devoid of businesses with over 100 employees. Government is supposed to be objective about business, but is sadly very involved (in backroom deals, I’d bet). Again, I don’t know the more precice lingo. I only know that what I see scares me - that all of those chances our grandparents had to get ahead are going away. I am not sure about Elon Musk yet. It is terrifying to think that he could corner the internet market with satellite, though. I worry about AWS/Amazon cornering the server market and thus having the power to censor us. Satellite internet seems far more powerful than that. I’ve never met a white supremacist Libertarian online and have met almost no Libertarians at all in person. I was put off by a couple misogynists, but think those were broken-hearted lonely men who just needed to rant a while - even if it did hurt the women in the group. Libertarians are very, very independent types and will always be too split to go too far. I feel the same about the FOSS community. They simply don’t work too well with others and that makes it hard to get ahead sometimes. They don’t want to dominate (usually), but don’t always want to cooperate, negotiate, or compromise. I don’t know who AOC is.
I left Spotify because of censorship already, but still hate how they are treating Joe Rogan - though I never watch his show.
I think the lines are quite blurred about who or which co. is capitalist or just opportunist or leftist. I prefer tthe term fascist for co. such as Amazon, Facebook, and Google. If you get help or forgiveness from the gov’t, that is fascism and I hate it. It is tyranny and deprives others of a fair chance to compete. I realize there many shades of grey and I thought Trump was a moderate Republican (he used to be a Democrat) and that many Democrats can be as greedy as any Republican. The Left is cancel-culture and gets people fired or not promoted- people who aren’t always celebs. They censor people. Its a modern-day witch burning or Maoist weeding out of anyone would disagrees. I think of Biden as Left, but what degree is he? idk. He’s nothing but a figurehead like most presidents are. I think the Left would be largely without power if the Right wouldn’t be so domineering…and, vice versa. Its like being kids and watching your parents have a big fight that continues to escalate to the point of insanity - each trying to out-maneveur or out-do the other. The kids just stand by cringing, thinking, “holy shit, I have the DNA of both of those lunatics”. You both hate them and begin to hate yourself for being a reluctant passive party to it. But, I also think conglomerates and other BIGGG players (central banks, IMF, WEF) are controlling or heavily influencing the left and right. They bait the Left and Right and the fools take the bait. They divide and conquer and are a bit outside of that Left or Right box.
I think that group is the one with drones, and the ones who orchestrate those wars. i fear another war within the next 5 years - maybe including Russia, Ukraine, and the Middle East. I suppose we ‘need’ more oil, so need that land access to where the oil pipelines will go. I say “need”. because most Americans have far too much crap already.I think most people think of Big Biz when they think of capitalism, but in my mnd, it is a world mostly full of small businesses and mostly devoid of businesses with over 100 employees.
The only problem with this, is that it is objectively false: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/big-business-is-getting-bigger/
Concentration of ownership in business is at highs we haven’t seen since the Gilded Age. That isn’t even an opinion, it’s a measurable fact.
I don’t think you’re really understanding what people mean when they talk about “capitalism”. Capitalism isn’t simply “big business” or “small business” or even “government versus business”, because Capitalism is enforced and upheld by Government. Here is a short video by an economics professor that might help clarify what leftists mean when they talk about “capitalism”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnY_ZqJ64cI
I think of Biden as Left, but what degree is he?
You might consider him left but Leftists, or at least the kind of people who self identify as Leftists on Lemmy would disagree with you strongly.
But, I also think conglomerates and other BIGGG players (central banks, IMF, WEF) are controlling or heavily influencing the left and right. They bait the Left and Right and the fools take the bait. They divide and conquer and are a bit outside of that Left or Right box.
No, the IMF, central banks, and WEF are capitalists. They are right wing. They are exactly what Leftists oppose. They are not outside of divide between Left and Right. They ARE the basis of opposition. You are literally complaining about Capitalism.
For facebook alternative I’ll say #Minds is the most mature but the problem there is lack of moderation and is home for many conspiracy theorists.
Adding to this, Minds also rewards their users with Ethereum, based on their interactions with the website. Very much not a fan of this. This encourages their users to post as much as possible for the sake of earning money, which results in a flood of posts, most of which are of low quality.
On another note, how is this a facebook alternative? Looking at their discovery page, it does remind me of a certain social network, but it ain’t facebook.
There’s really not a feature by feature alternative to Facebook. Specifically not FOSS. What social network Minds remind you of?
Disclaimer* I don’t have a Facebook account for years now, and made a Minds acc just to look it’d features.
Yeah it looks like a mastodon reskin
Don’t know if this goes here or in /AskLemmy, but just wanted to know the best FOSS social networks, why are there so good? What would be the propietary equivalent?
FOSS social networks don’t sell your data or show you adds. Have you heard of alternativeto.net? You can see the different open source alternatives to any software you want in there
I did a webpage on some of that at https://gadgeteer.co.za/altsocialmedia/ showing some info on each alternative, and matching it to it’s closest proprietary equivalent, as well as some video links to those which I did a video overview about.
White about MEWE
