Remember “the old days” when you only needed to be on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to establish a strong social media presence? It’s not that simple anymore. Watch out for the upcoming sleeper “Triller .”” and get ready for “Rumble”.
What is Triller? Triller is a music-video AI app that enables users to “create professional-level videos within seconds”, according to Influencers Marketing Hub.
Influencers marketing Hub has named Triller as the top site to watch for in 2023. Triller has already millions of users and features that are similar to TikTok. Rumble is a YouTube alternative that has not yet reached mainstream.
It IS difficult to keep up with everything. Today, there are many “alternatives” to social media. MeWe is an alternative to Facebook. Cohost is a social media website that’s supposedly friendlier and warmer. The list is endless.
Social media has become more segmented as a result of certain events. Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter in October 2022 resulted an exodus among some Twitter users. Mastodon is an open-source, social media website. Many Twitter users who fled the site found refuge there. Some Twitter refugees found refuge on Tumblr, a site that has existed since 2008. Since Musk’s purchase of Twitter, Tumblr has seen a revival. It allows microblogging.
Politics has divided us both in real life and online. Mastodon is a social network for liberal Twitter users. Conservatives have also had enough of what’s called “content moderating.” Many conservatives have left Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
Conservatives Search for a New Social Media Home
Truth Social, the twitter alternative of former president Donald Trump, is a popular choice for conservatives who do not like to be censored. Former Trump spokesperson Jason Miller created his own Twitter competitor, Gettr, a year before Truth Social launched in 2022. Parler was a Twitter alternative that existed before either Truth Social, or Gettr. The site, launched in 2013 as an alternative to Twitter that allowed “free speech”, became extremely popular among conservatives.
Parler had 12 millions users at its peak. Parler’s numbers of users soared after the 2020 Presidential Election. Parler’s popularity plummeted after the Capitol Riot of 2021. The Google Play Store, Apple App Store, and Amazon AWS all deplatformed the app. Parler returned to the internet in spring 2021 but never recovered its popularity.
Elon Musk extended an olive branch to the conservatives. Musk restored the accounts of many prominent conservatives who had been banned from Twitter. Musk restored Donald Trump’s Twitter account in late 2022. It had been suspended since January 2021.
Musk invited the Republican presidential candidate of 2024 to return and tweet. Trump, however, has stated that he does not plan to return to his 2016 platform which helped him win the presidency.
Facebook and Instagram unblocked the account of former President Trump in February this year. Trump, however, has yet to return to any social media sites.
Dave Nourse is an assistant professor in the Hank Greenspun school of journalism and media studies at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. He says that the former president will not be returning to Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter any time soon.
spanstyle=”color: #000000 ;”>”Donald Trump is (allowed to be) on Facebook and Twitter. Trump replied, “Thanks but no thanks.” Nourse said. “At the end, Trump’s supporters will still support him .”
Since Trump has invested a lot of money and brand image in his Truth Social site, it would not be in Trump’s best interest to jump back to other social media websites at this time.
The professor explains that spanstyle=”color: #000000 ;”>”While Donald Trump was reinstated, he had a vested interested in his platform, Truth Social. “He’s making money.” Why would he abandon his platform?
Donald Trump, who has announced his candidacy for 2024’s presidency, might change his mind when it is more politically convenient.
Nourse says that if Trump’s campaign is successful, the Trump campaign staff would use Facebook, Twitter, and other social media. “In 2016, Donald Trump reached many people through Twitter .”
Nourse believes that the huge amount of attention still being paid to the former president was a factor in the recent move to reinstate Trump on social media. The decision to reinstate Trump to Twitter comes at a time where Elon Musk’s newly acquired site, which has been losing users because of his management of the social media giant, is also under pressure.
Elon Musk makes massive changes to Twitter
Elon Musk, a billionaire who has made $44 billion in his lifetime, bought Twitter for $44 billion. Musk, the CEO of Tesla Electric Cars and SpaceX was regarded as a genius – albeit eccentric – by many.
This image was damaged during the months of controversy leading up to Twitter’s purchase. Musk changed Twitter’s standards almost immediately after taking control in October. He fired the top executives, and laid off half of its employees.
The reaction to Musk’s Twitter takeover again was divided by party. Conservatives praised the move, particularly after Musk began releasing the “Twitter Files” in early December. The “Twitter Files” are a series of internal documents from Twitter, showing what some claim to be evidence of government-encouraged content censorship. The New York Post story on the Hunter Biden laptop in October 2020 was censored, according to some.
Liberals on the other side, grew to hate Musk. Mastodon was a new social media home for many liberal Twitter users.
Nourse: “I believe there is a clear correlation between Elon’s (Musk) purchase of Twitter, and people leaving Twitter.” “Elon Musk is a very controversial figure. Many people dislike Elon Musk. Some people say that they are done with Twitter. This man’s politics or .'” are not my cup of tea.
Nourse believes that Twitter’s massive size will not be ruined by the trend of Twitter flight. Twitter is too big to fail.
The professor continued, “I believe the core groups — journalists, reporters and celebrities (and) sport stars” will remain on Twitter. You can find estimates that millions of people will abandon Twitter .”.
Although the grass on social media may appear greener, many people find it difficult to quit Twitter.
Nourse asks “What is Twitter without Twitter?” The truth is that Twitter still exists .”
A look at the social media landscape
Snapchat is one of the niche social media websites. Nourse says that high school and college students use Snapchat quite a bit. Snaps can be sent between users. Like WhatsApp and Instagram, Snapchat users can update their status once every 24 hours.
Bluesky Social is a social media website that was created by Jack Dorsey, the creator of Twitter. Twitter created Bluesky in 2019 as an initiative for developing a decentralized protocol. Bluesky, a non-profit organization, will let users control their own algorithms and information. There is already a long waiting list for the site.
BeReal, another social media app that is growing in popularity, is BeReal. BeReal does not allow filters or followers. BeReal’s goal is to provide users with an authentic experience. Rumble also wants to compete with YouTube.
Nourse sees TikTok, however, as the true social media video threat. He says that YouTube is more concerned about TikTok and Rumble than Rumble.
According to Nourse, it is more difficult for new social media platforms to compete with the likes of Facebook or Twitter.
He says that spanstyle=”color: #000000 ;”>”The giant social media companies will simply imitate their version of TikTok SnapChat.” “It is difficult for a brand new company to get a foothold .”
Valerie Miller, a journalist based in the Las Vegas Valley, is a multi-award-winning journalist. She can be reached at (702) 683-3986 or [email protected].
The post Musk’s Twitter buyout, Big Tech Social Media Control, Open Door for New Sites first appeared on Vegas Legal Magazine.