social networking alternatives to facebook

Techarm – Part 1 – Alternatives to Facebook at the Time of Global Pandemic – Covid 19

If there is something that this COVID 19 pandemic has taught us, it has to be how enslaved we are to our overtly social and outgoing lifestyle. As the Governments of the world began engaging in a lockdown spree, humans could only watch helplessly as the known world began to fade away faster than the skylight of dusk. In India, as in many other parts of the world, we are in complete lockdown. We are confined to the four walls of our living quarters and somehow managing. But to every living soul on this earth, who hasn’t been at one of the hottest theatres of the World Wars, this is something entirely new! To many people across generations, what this virus has done to the world is tantamount to the fallout of a third World War. But we are not here to discuss all the glum surrounding this pandemic. Rather, like a true research scientist, we will analyze how we can arm ourselves with Technology should a second wave hit us.

Technology has evolved rapidly into what the techies love to call human-centered Technology. The core of this concept relies on the postulate that humans are not a nuisance to be assisted with technology, rather an asset for technology to be molded around. So, while all the grand progresses in technology did start with the concept that a human being is extremely limited in terms of capabilities and needs to be augmented with technology, that concept has now been turned upside down. The Tech world now gives humankind all the due credits for being what it is and evolving technology wants to act as a super-smart slave to augment our perception of the world around us. We can broadly divide the human being into two parts – the Mind and the Body. Because technology now is shaped around us, all the major applications have now segregated into two broad classes – those that cater to the human mind and those that cater to the human body.

The recent emergency lockdown has proven that when we are cut out from the world, even if it is for our own safety, we react negatively to what we perceive as a prison sentence in our subconscious minds. Lockdowns affect our minds and our bodies in equal measures. Recent studies conducted by the Universities of Adelaide, Sydney and Tongji University in China have indeed come up with consolidated data on this. Should the second wave of viral pandemic hit us and we are forced into another lockdown, technology can just be the messiah we were looking for! Here’s how we should arm ourselves with technology for an unknown grim future.

Where the Mind is without fear

In this day and age, the key to having a stable mental health is a mixture of the following – not feeling lonely, engage in constructive mental work, keep earning from within the confines of our homes. How can technology help us here?

Social network is a big part of our lives now and there isn’t an iota of doubt that Facebook is the behemoth of the domain. But at the same time, there is a growing #deletefacebook movement that is raging, quite interestingly, on Facebook itself! Amid growing personal data security concerns, people are fed up with arguments with friends and relatives on everything from politics to personal preferences. There is a growing concern about losing real-world friends over virtual strife. Enter the Facebook alternatives! Because we want to stay connected and stay at peace at the same time, some Tech startups have come up with splendid social networking solutions. Here are a few of them.

Ello – If you have the creative zing and love to live among fellow creators, this is just the place for you. It is a social networking platform aimed mainly at creators of all genres and since 2014 has caused quite a stir! Stripped down to the basics, without all the clutter of Facebook, the platform feels fresh and energizing.

Vero – this is a unique social networking platform that is really concerned about your screen time. It gives you regular updates on how much time you are spending on this platform; a much-needed reminder to look back at the real world! Plus, they don’t suck in all your data.

Mastodon – Call this the rebellious revelation of the Social Network. It is creating all the right buzz since 2017 and growing at a steady rate as I type this article. Mastodon is unique in that it is not owned and operated by a single large corporation. It is open-source, crowd-funded, and jointly owned by all its users. Amazed? Yes, that’s how it is. It is being dubbed by many as the future Facebook killer.

Now, only social media isn’t going to keep your mind

running in case of a lockdown. What if you need someone to talk to in times you are feeling lonely? There are tech-based solutions for that as well! To know more watch out for the next installment of this article!

About the author

Hirak D

Hirak D is a published author and Communication Coach from Durgapur, West Bengal, India. He is also a guest blogger at several media and publication houses with published articles on a wide variety of topics. As part of his profession, he teaches English to school and college students in his hometown. His particular areas of interest are human behavioral studies and the human oriented technology interface

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16 Comments

  • Just awesome and quite informative, Sir. Whatever you have mentioned in this article shall cater to our needs, in a positive and proficient manner. We are chained by few social media websites, but the sites that you have mentioned above (specially Elo) will give us wings to fly high and have something to aspire for. Thanks a lot for such writings.

    • Thank you Mr Aniket for your wonderful words which is really motivating for us.

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  • Peek into the future. A leap away from the clutter. A sneak preview of the menu to get off from the bland three course of TIF – Twitter Instagram and Facebook to a more refreshing and less repressive platter. Thanks.

    • Thank you Mr Dutta for your wonderful and motivating words.

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  • Very informative and knowledgeable content sir. All these information which you have written for this article is just awesome, it will give us a new source of learning . All these social media websites which you mentioned in these article is really a helping hand for all of us to create a healthy bright future. Thanks a lot sir.

    • Dear Suman, thanks a ton for making the time to read this article. Your comments mean a lot and your opinion matters. Keep following us for more such insightful articles.

    • Thank you Mr Das for your motivation. This will surely help us to give more refreshing articles in the future.

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    • Good to know that you like it. Thank you for your feedback.

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  • So far we have always taken this idea that technology has spoiled our lives. Probably because we didn’t knew the uses. With the help of this article we can understand well the benefits of this technology concerned living. With the help of this article it’s pretty clear how we can turn technology as a boon.
    Very well written. Crisp and to the point stuffs.

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