The big three have dominated the internet for quite some time. Facebook, Twitter , and Youtube have quite the monopoly on all things social media. A few other websites have come into play with varying results. Pinterest has failed to gain my interest, but it has a decent user base. Instagram has been all the rage with millennials as of late, but I personally do not see the appeal, as I rarely take a selfie.
All of the major social media sites engage in massive levels of censorship. Facebook decides what gets to trend, and pulls any posts that disagree with the mainstream narrative. Twitter bans anyone that they please, and has a pay to play trending system. If they agree with your political viewpoints, and you have some cold hard cash, you can get your hashtag trending. Youtube censors speech by demonetizing videos. The algorithm is also very unfriendly to anyone they disagree with. They also use an Orwellian copyright system that favors large corporations. They can hold videos hostage for upwards of two months if they do not want you using their video footage for criticism.
With the censorship blasting into the social media community at full speed, other sites are attempting to compete with the social media monsters. We are currently enjoying Steemit, which is a highly unique platform. Mind.com is also attempting to compete. With these two newcomers to the social media scene, who will rise to the top? Which social media site will users flock to? CAN any of these sites even compete? Who else will jump into the fray?
This remains to be seen, but I do think that the giants are going to be facing stiff competition in the coming years. None of these sites can operate without the content creators. None of these sites can live on without a user-base. I personally believe that we will be seeing a time of reckoning for these giants. Content creators and users will only put up with so much, and when other viable platforms come into play, people WILL leave. We have seen this before. Does anyone remember Myspace? This is a wonderful example of the free market. Myspace lost it's allure, and people left in droves.
So, what do you think? When will we begin to see a mass exodus from the corporate world of social media? Are there any other sites you have been using? Who will be leading this charge?