Algorithms on big social media platforms aren't good for you. They encourage you to be performative instead of authentic. They leverage your interests to keep you doomscrolling. And they do all of this to monetize you to advertisers, and, in some cases, to influence your beliefs.
Your account doesn't belong to you, it belongs to the platforms. You can't leave and move your profile to another server or interact with accounts on other social networks. They own your profile and control what you see. You are locked in.
It's time to make a change. To regain your freedom. To curate your own experiences. To make room for the unexpected. To learn how to explore the web again. To choose what influences you. To connect with people more authentically. And most importantly, to do better things with your life.
It's time to live algo-free by joining the fediverse.
Join the fediverse
The best way to live algo-free is to create an account on an open social web platform that's interoperable with other platforms, not commercialized, and that supports a chronological feed. Here's some to choose from that all support ActivityPub:
X/Twitter alternatives
Instagram alternative
Facebook alternatives
TikTok alternative
YouTube alternative
Reddit alternative
Substack alternative
Fediverse tips
Centralized social media platforms are easier to start using because they leverage your personal data to connect you with people and push posts that might interest you. It's the convenience that comes with giving up your privacy.
The fediverse, on the other hand, is decentralized across thousands of different servers and is privacy-focused. What that means is that it will take longer to find people with similar interests and people you already know. But you will find them, and it will be worth it. I promise!
Here are some tips on how to get started. The tips focus on Mastodon, but they are generally true for all decentralized platforms as well.
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Choose the best server (for you)
Use FediDB to find and join large servers open to anyone, like mastodon.social, or smaller community-focused servers like fediscience.org, tech.lgbt, and infosec.exchange, or create your own server using a managed hosting service like Masto Host.
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Complete your profile details
You will connect with more people on the fediverse if you add a profile image and include a description about yourself and your interests. And if you have a website, such as a blog, verify it so people know you're really who you say you are.
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Find who to follow
Mastodon servers have explore pages with trending posts. They are an excellent way to find and follow people posting interesting content. You can also find and follow people based on topics of interest at Fedi Directory, Fediverse Info, and Trunk.
Another excellent place to discover people, publishers, and organizations is Surf Social. If you sign in with your Mastodon account, you can remotely follow profiles and reply to, boost, and favorite posts. You can also create shareable feeds that others can follow and interact with on Surf Social.
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Follow as many people as you want
Your following/follower ratio doesn't matter in the fediverse. It's not a competition, and no algorithm is taking it into account.
Follow as many people as you want to see if the content they post and repost from their network interests you. Their reposts will also help you find even more people to follow. And if you don't like what they share, unfollow them at any time.
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Reshare other people's posts
Resharing, also known as boosting, is an essential part of discovery in the fediverse.
Since there's no algorithm to promote posts to people you're not connected to, boosting can help increase visibility to many thousands of people, especially if it's something that interests a wide audience.
It's also an excellent way for people to discover you and for you to find new and interesting people to follow.
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Contribute and engage with others
Post things that interest you and engage with others' posts. You will find people with similar interests faster, and it will make the experience much more enjoyable.
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Be empathic and inclusive
The open social web is what we make of it. If you want a better social experience online, then make it one.
That means using image and video descriptions for those who can't see them, and trying to be respectful to those with different perspectives and life experiences.
Consider using free services like Please Caption Bot to help you form better habits.
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Mute and block topics and people
Nobody has time for unreasonable people. If someone's engagement with your posts is annoying, you can mute them. And if you don't want them to see and read your posts at all, you can block them.
Additionally, if there are topics you don't want to see in your feed, you can add keyword filters to hide them without having to unfollow people.
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Take advantage of lists and hashtags
An excellent way to curate your experience on the fediverse is to add people to lists. For example, I have lists for journalists, designers, and photographers. I can then view a list that shows only content from those people.
You can also follow hashtags, like
#nature,#science, and#photography, to further refine the posts in your feed.