Breaking the Feed

We take a closer look at one of the newer niche socials: Truth Social.

What are niche social apps, why have they become so popular, and what does it mean for us?

Niche social apps take one specific element, whether that's one subject (gaming or traveling), one audience (by age, socioeconomic status, or viewpoint), or one function or feature (share one photo per day or messaging only) and attempt to grow an audience that way.

We discuss the advantages and disadvantages for the apps themselves, but especially for the rest of us.

We wrap up our series on New Twitters with a look at Bluesky Social, T2 (Pebble), and Post, and some conclusions about whether there's a viable alternative available now.

We'll continue to watch for New Twitters and will plan a follow up episode Q2 2024.

Note: After we recorded T2/Pebble shut down.

This episode we continue to explore "New Twitter" offerings with a look at Mastodon, Cohost, Tribel, and Truth.

Does the world need, or want, a new Twitter?

We start our series thinking about what makes Twitter, Twitter (or at least, what made Twitter, Twitter), and a look at Threads, Counter Social, and Discord.

We'll explore how these New Twitter(X) offerings stack up, how they work, what we liked, any concerns we have, and whether we think there's a viable alternative or alternatives.

What is a "copycat social" and what does it mean for how we think about social media?

We explore what makes a copycat social a copycat social and set up for our series on so-called New Twitters.

Already popular in many areas around the world, are superapps coming to a phone near you?

We'll look at some of the existing superapp offerings, explore some of the advantages and disadvantages (including what it could mean for social media), and think about who might be most likely to build one with widespread appeal in the West, and what it might look like.

We continue to explore the TikTok controversy and explain why we think we're likely to see more regulation and changes over the next twelve months.

To what extent is TikTok a Chinese problem, and what is this likely to mean for its future?

As this issue takes center stage (in the most recent Republican debate, literally), we explore the unique to TikTok risks, perceived and actual, and what's at the heart of the debate over whether to ban the platform.

21 dimensional chess or a massive mistake?

A brief summary of the Twitter sale saga and a discussion of what came after and what it all means.