Alt Tech

[Jetflag]

In the wake of the recent Silicon Valley diAlex Jones'ing of a sitting US president. Aswell as several years of eyebrows raised at for instance but not limited too: Dodgy privacy exchange terms between Whatsapp and FB, Disproportional deplatforming of conservative voices on Youtube, Toxicity and frankly massive dual standards in whielding policy on Twitter, and my personal concerns about (internet) monopoly.

i'm considering making the switch to Alt tech,

I still, mostly for music reasons and the fact that most of my friends are on there, have FB/whatsapp and Youtube. but i've already begun the purge process.

so far i've been enjoying Minds and Vimeo for a while now (thought the latter has a very annoying upload limit), and recently installed Signal as an alternative to Whatsapp.

do you have (and if yes what are your experiences on) any non Big-Tech platforms? (aside from Trancefix that is)

 

[Archon]

Telegram just surpassed 500 million active users - up 25+ million in the past 72 hours alone!

From all of it, I use Telegram, and I love it. So much faster than all the big ones (Messenger, WhatsApp etc - which I still use because of friends, family), very customizable and available on all platforms. They don't sell your data, though they will include a paid option for businesses. The only fault - it's not e2e encrypted by default - only private chats are.

I also use Vanced app on my phone for free YouTube (no ads) and YouTube Music, if that amounts to anything. I generally don't want to spend most of my time there anyways.

As for social networks, I use Instagram but see what's wrong with it, although I can't seem to say goodbye. I don't see the use of the other ones for me, apart from LinkedIn (but I check it out once every two weeks).

On my laptop, I always block ads and trackers and whatnot.



The open-source movement is cool, but it costs a lot of money, especially for the most-used apps and social networks. I mean, even the founder of Telegram, who's been financing it out of his own pocket (and some donations), says it takes millions of dollars just to keep it running. Servers, developers, employees... And the costs increase the more users you have.

So then, as a company, you have a choice. Include a paywall (for some, or all, features) which will repel some users and prevent some from joining, or make it entirely free but include data mining and selling to others, which the 95% know nothing about and are just happy to use it for free.

I'm not saying I want my data collected and sold, but nothing is free in this world.

 

[dmgtz96]

Lol I guess my post didn't go through.
I'm concerned that these alternatives have unsustainable models. Sites like Parler might have started off with moderate conservatives and good "free speech" protections, but the more they grow the more they'll attract the dangerous let's go storm the US Capitol types.
LinkedIn really is the only one mentioned that I use, but I'm not sure if it qualifies as "alt tech." There are lots of cringy posts, and comment sections on news articles remind me of local newspaper discussions on Facebook, with people from both sides taking points to the extremes.

We're getting to the point where even reasonable people on the left are becoming uncomfortable with the power those tech companies have. At the same time, I don't see tech talent going to alt tech, since most good developers/engineers flock to big tech. I imagine that alt tech gets the bottom of the barrel and will keep doing so unless Peter Thiel (or someone with his status) injects a lot of capital into one of these platforms.

 

[Julian Del Agranda]

I use Instagram but see what's wrong with it, although I can't seem to say goodbye

You will miss it the exact same amount as you currently miss Facebook.

 

[Julian Del Agranda]

If a company with a free product earns billions of dollars, then you know it's dodgy as shit.

We don't realize how much our data is worth. Apparantly, it's worth the biggest of the biggest pile of dollars ever, since they ear billions. It's easy as that. We are manipulated without realizing it, spending much much much time of our lives on "basically nothing" while they earn billions. It's extremely sad really.

For a while now, I have only LinkedIn. It was a sort of "nice" platform. But it's the new twitter, with extremely stupid people posting rants with false statements, or without any sort of nuance. It's like 97% dumb people who's ability to post their opinion on internet should be restricted.

So yeah, I think I'm going to delete my LinkedIn account too in the next few weeks. Then I don't have any sort of social media at all. Knowing what stupid people that I don't even know think, it doesn't make me happy.

I don't use any alternative "techs". It's not the data/privacy aspect alone. The apps and platforms just don't make me happy (anymore?). So I'm not really looking for any substitutes. I would LIKE to swap whatsapp for something else though, if everyone swaps, just to annoy Facebook.

 

[Archon]

Oh don't even get me started on LinkedIn. It took the worst of YouTube and Instagram, where people with not a lot of work experience just force-feed quasi-motivational posts and cute anecdotes that don't translate to real world at all (or at least that's what I see) in order to get more followers and get noticed more often - they turn themselves into a marketing tool for the company as well. Not a bad strategy, but the execution is cheap. Reminds me of YouTube, where random people just appear as experts and hand out advice about whatever. Tim Ferriss and the likes... He himself said that in order to appear as an expert at something, you have to read top 4 books on the topic and that's it (or something along those lines).

But I have to at least be there for my (future) career, thankfully I check if I had any messages once every two weeks and that's it. And it's not alt tech. It's owned by Microsoft.

As for the chat apps, what you have to do is just scare your friends and relatives that are prone to being suspicious about big companies, and when they switch, the rest will too. I'm probably gonna slowly start convincing my close family and friends to switch completely. Just got Signal as well, looks nice and comes with the e2e encryption by default (same algorithm as WhatsApp). Cross-platform as well as Telegram.

I gotta recommend Telegram, it's amazing. It's everything you need from a chat app, and much more, while being so lightweight and fast it's incredible. On my 2014 laptop, the difference between launching Telegram and WhatsApp (and especially Messenger) is incredible. It also, as I said before, has 500 million active users, and a couple of my friends use it. Don't know why I even got Signal, maybe because I want something new.

Anyhow, for the WA controversy: WhatsApp really wants you to know it’s not sharing all your data with Facebook

You will miss it the exact same amount as you currently miss Facebook.

Ah, I don't think so. I disabled my FB account more than a year ago, rejoined it for a day and disabled it again. I disabled my Insta account a year ago in January, rejoined in April I think, and stayed there, even though at the point of rejoining I thought I shouldn't. It's a boredom filler, and even though I know I'd be happier without it, I can't leave it. But anyway, that's a story for the other thread.

 

[Jetflag]

I don't use any alternative "techs". It's not the data/privacy aspect alone. The apps and platforms just don't make me happy (anymore?). So I'm not really looking for any substitutes. I would LIKE to swap whatsapp for something else though, if everyone swaps, just to annoy Facebook.

Signal or Gagi's aforementioned Telegram seem to be a suitable alternative.

I've also made a couple of ghost subscriptions on Odyssee and Bitchute. The latter of which I find the layout to be obnoxious, so i don't think i'll be using that very much if at all.

then there's the aformentioned linkedin, which I basically treat like an online work portfolio. and Soundcloud. which I consider sort of alt tech.

 

[dmgtz96]

If a company with a free product earns billions of dollars, then you know it's dodgy as shit.

We don't realize how much our data is worth. Apparantly, it's worth the biggest of the biggest pile of dollars ever, since they ear billions. It's easy as that. We are manipulated without realizing it, spending much much much time of our lives on "basically nothing" while they earn billions. It's extremely sad really.

Someone must have watched The Social Dilemma, lol

Signal or Gagi's aforementioned Telegram seem to be a suitable alternative.

I had never heard of them, but it seems that those two are incredibly popular - even more so than whatsapp itself.
Tbh anything that gives Zuck less control sounds good to me.

I've also made a couple of ghost subscriptions on Odyssee and Bitchute. The latter of which I find the layout to be obnoxious, so i don't think i'll be using that very much if at all.

Went to the site and it does look like shit. It's like the web dev tried to do a bootcamp but failed out of it.

 

[Jetflag]

Went to the site and it does look like shit. It's like the web dev tried to do a bootcamp but failed out of it.

Lmfao, spot on.

Odysee.com looks ok though. I love how they, after the massive load of subscribers added the text "relax, this is still Big tech" on top of their page

 

[Julian Del Agranda]

Someone must have watched The Social Dilemma, lol

I've seen it a few months ago. It didn't really bring anything new to the table. I liked how they display the "algorhythm" with a group of men. It's good for any starters who don't ever think about this stuff. My personal journey with the social media crap began a few years ago already.

For me the privacy aspect isn't even the biggest issue. It's more how "addicting" they make their product to make sure you stay where they want you to be. Like the never-ending news feed. Clever design, right? I have the same issue with Loot boxes in videogames etc. Products aren't designed to be good anymore. They are designed to make you addicted.

 

[dmgtz96]

I've seen it a few months ago. It didn't really bring anything new to the table. I liked how they display the "algorhythm" with a group of men. It's good for any starters who don't ever think about this stuff. My personal journey with the social media crap began a few years ago already.

For me the privacy aspect isn't even the biggest issue. It's more how "addicting" they make their product to make sure you stay where they want you to be. Like the never-ending news feed. Clever design, right? I have the same issue with Loot boxes in videogames etc. Products aren't designed to be good anymore. They are designed to make you addicted.

Yeah, it's like a collection of things that everyone knows or has heard somewhere.
I liked the interviews with former big tech employees/team leaders. Some of those people were fairly high up, and you could tell they all expressed regret about what these products became. I think it just hits differently from a random conspiracy rant you could find online.
Speaking of conspiracies, the documentary hit that angle pretty well, too. You're frustrated with your life irl, so you start viewing outrageous content. You keep watching that, get radicalized more and more, your reality gets distorted, and eventually you do awful things with real-life consequences... like storming the US capitol.
And yep, they were made to be addicting. I remember in high school (~2012/2013) that it seemed like everyone around me couldn't separate from their smartphones and social media.

 

[dmgtz96]

Anyhow, for the WA controversy: WhatsApp really wants you to know it’s not sharing all your data with Facebook

Wow, I just realized I was very out-of-the-loop about this. I've only used Whatsapp sparingly to communicate with my parents, but I don't even have it installed on my phone anymore.
I'm a bit sketched out by Telegram, but Signal sounds like a good alternative.
And yeah, after all the recent shit I definitely support alt-tech. Just find a way to contain the crazies, you know?

 

[Archon]

Wow, I just realized I was very out-of-the-loop about this. I've only used Whatsapp sparingly to communicate with my parents, but I don't even have it installed on my phone anymore.
I'm a bit sketched out by Telegram, but Signal sounds like a good alternative.
And yeah, after all the recent shit I definitely support alt-tech. Just find a way to contain the crazies, you know?

WhatsApp have put these changes on hold since.

Why are you sketched out by it? Signal is a bit too basic and feels unfinished as an app. Telegram is complete.

 

[Jetflag]

WhatsApp have put these changes on hold since.

Why are you sketched out by it? Signal is a bit too basic and feels unfinished as an app. Telegram is complete.

probably?

 

[Archon]

That its owners are Russian doesn't make it bad...or good, for that matter.

Telegram FAQ

This FAQ provides answers to basic questions about Telegram. Check out our Advanced FAQ for more technical information.…

telegram.org

 

[Jetflag]

That its owners are Russian doesn't make it bad...or good, for that matter.

Telegram FAQ

This FAQ provides answers to basic questions about Telegram. Check out our Advanced FAQ for more technical information.…

telegram.org

i know, it was a joke.

I am having difficulty finding a good video alternative though. DTube seems to be the next best thing as its completely crypto but i just hate the fact that I have to go through all the f'ing steps just to create an account that allows me to upload a few fun surf video's

fak. Back to limited vimeo then i suppose, untill there's a better alternative?

 

[dmgtz96]

WhatsApp have put these changes on hold since.

Why are you sketched out by it? Signal is a bit too basic and feels unfinished as an app. Telegram

probably?

LOL wtf
tbh I had no idea the Telegram developers were based in Dubai. That's actually kinda cool.
The biggest perceived risk with Russian tech is that the government goes all Jack Ma/Alibaba on them. But it sounds like that's not a risk with Telegram, since they're not even based in Russia.

 

[Jetflag]

Maple syrup Tube test.

My First Surf Rumble

Oh hai, I upload surf stuff and maybe more later, and hoping maple syrup tube isn't all that much sillycunt valley esq. bombaclut!

rumble.com

My First Surf Rumble - Rumble

 

[Archon]

Maple syrup Tube test.

My First Surf Rumble

Oh hai, I upload surf stuff and maybe more later, and hoping maple syrup tube isn't all that much sillycunt valley esq. bombaclut!

rumble.com

My First Surf Rumble - Rumble

No embed support = shit.

 

[Recharge]

I skimped the topic quickly. How about reddit. Seems to be pretty level-headed.