Let’s face it, whether we like it or not, and despite its shortcomings, Facebook is a real game-changer. People probably have forgotten that Friendster, Myspace, and Yahoo video were amazing, back in the day, but practically no one (except those inclined to live off-the-grid) can consider Faceback easy to ignore or replace. You either love it for making it easy to connect, and consequently find anything, any place, and anyone. Or hate it because it makes you vulnerable to privacy hackers – and an easy mark to slew of relentless advertisers and marketers.
Some people who don’t care much about Facebook’s extensive network and it’s recent innovations like the Snapchat-like lenses and effects, AR, games and streaming capabilities, may be able to crossover to alternative social media without any separation anxiety. Personally, while not a rabid user, I’m not about to delete my FB account because I still find it useful when keeping tabs on people and posts. TechNewsGadget focused on two worthy contenders to the social media throne for those who are currently disenchanted with Facebook. But be warned – for every person who welcomes other options, there will be another who will find it pointless.
To be honest, it’s easier to replace Facebook Messenger with Telegram rather than find a social media platform that has the features you had gotten used to. If you are a diehard fan of FB and looking for exactly the same kind of gratification, then these alternative sites will disappoint. Eventually, its viability depends on how it matches our needs and interests after the novelty wears off.
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Ello
Ello is not a new kid on the block. Since 2014, it’s been quietly building a reputation among artists. Initially, it was in monochrome but since then, looks more like a leveled-up Pinterest. Currently, you don’t need to get invited to be able to sign up. Signing up is a breeze and you get to choose whether you joined as an artist or a fan.
Be part of what’s next in art, design, fashion, web culture & more.
There are a lot of categories to choose from such as digital art, writing, 3D, photography, music, travel and more. Some categories are sort of “in-your-face” like Cannabis and Modernism Sucks but there’s plenty of latitude in the 27 choices. But here’s where it gets interesting and sort-of morphs into LinkedIn and Upwork. Once you click on any of the boxes, a page opens up and gives you two options (Get Hired or Collaborate) before you can proceed. I sort of asked myself, “where’s the social media here?” but Ello got good reviews and has been around for 4 years so I clicked on collaborate and the page opens up to a fantastic array of choices. You either instantly realize that you are one of them or feel that you are the ugly duckling among swans or vice-versa. And yes, there are no ads and for those who find affirmation gratifying, Ello now features comments, like/love and repost buttons.
On a lucky day, you might encounter someone is your digital soulmate! Or join the “Art Giveaway Program” where you don’t buy anything but simply comment to get a chance to win a lithograph, T-shirt, bag, or other artworks that is worthy to be worn or displayed in your home or office. If you are willing to ignore the limited reach but enjoy high-quality content while having the option to remain anonymous, then, say hello to Ello!
2. Vero
It’s easy to love a rising social media app that touts they have “more of what’s great and less of what makes it suck”. Unlike Facebook that started as a garage project of Mark Zuckerberg, Vero which stands for truth was started three years ago by billionaire Ayman Hariri. Vero has several ambitious social media goals aside from going ads-free. One of the most obvious pluses about Vero is that it wants to enhance life – not promote digital addiction. It does this by having a timer that sorts of helps you manage your time. With it having 3 Million users, there’s a buzz that it could be the next Instagram and darling of influencers. In fact, it’s now among the ten top free apps and last February was ranked “#3 on the U.S. iTunes Social Networking charts” from a distant #19.
“less social media, more social life,” —VERO
While it is seen as an ad-free, multi-faceted site like Facebook, it may not be free to use in the future. To keep afloat sans ads, CNBC reported that Vero is considering collecting nominal annual membership fees in the future. Something that Vero has delayed implementing – so download the app and see why it’s the best new app in over 100 countries. Is it really the smarter app for sharing, searching, connecting, engaging, and creating? Try it for a spin and be the judge.
