• by Ray Schultz , December 27, 2022

To hear some observers tell it, Twitter is about to collapse. And speculation is rife about what, if anything, can replace it. 

Bloomberg’s Tim Culpan has come up with a list of contenders. As Culpan put it, here are the “alternatives for those seeking a Plan B.” 

Mastodon—This German social platform is the early favorite for being “the next Twitter.” Critics complain about its decentralization and other issues, but it was never meant to replace Twitter.  

Post—This is supposed to be a “civil place to debate ideas.” Argument is allowed, but it has to be polite. However, it may take time for new fans to gain access. 

Koo—Based in India, this is the closest to being a Twitter clone. Koo, reflecting India’s 20 languages, allows multi-lingual posts. The downside: It’s possible users may want something new. 

T2.Social—Culpan calls this an “upstart,” in that it is a direct attempt to take advantage of Twitter’s dysfunction. The product is designed to be close to the Twitter formula, but it still has to be developed and built before being launched on an unsuspecting world.  

Substack—This is not an obvious replacement for Twitter—it is an email newsletter service. But Substack can perhaps build in more interactivity.

Discord & Reddit—Discord has private communities called servers, Reddit provides moderate bulletin boards. Content is siloed, so readers are unlikely to be offended. However, misinformation can grow.  

Trust Social & Hive—It is hard to separate some of these choices from politics. Truth Social is former President Donald Trump’s revenge for getting bumped from Twitter. Neither of these products is likely to replace Twitter. And they may suffer from security issues.  

Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube. These have more users than Twitter and allow journalists and policy wonks to build a following with text. 

Culpan concludes, “A final victor won’t be crowned quickly. Instead, those looking for a back-up option will probably want to sample the options and tread carefully.

The full article can be accessed here.