Recently, I received a three-day ban on my private Facebook account after I alluded to a certain racial slur in an argument. I didn’t say it or call anyone it, I merely alluded to the word’s existence. I logged in two days later and was told that I was blocked from using Facebook for the next three days… including using private messages. This was a big problem because most of my friends here in Europe use Facebook as their primary messaging app, because phone data here is far less expensive than texting or calling (for example, my phone plan costs around $14 a month and gives me 1 GB of data, 100 minutes, and 100 texts).
Gee, it’s a good thing I didn’t post any quotes from Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
The last time I’d been blocked from Facebook was a year and a half before, and I’d taken measures to keep it from happening again by removing all leftists and other problem people from my friends list, as well as locking down my profile so few people could access it. Back then, bans were only for 24 hours and I was still allowed to use private messaging when they were in effect, so they weren’t as big a deal. I was forced to get around the ban by creating a new account so I could message my friends… you know, the reason why I’m even on the site to begin with?
It felt like gaslighting, seeing people message me on my main account and not even being able to reply.
The dissident right has a major problem: its communication networks are based around social media platforms run by leftists. Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, YouTube, WhatsApp and the like are operated by rabid, frothing Marxists who hate us and want to silence us. When they aren’t outright banning us for unexplained violations of their rules, they’re throttling or choking off our posts so that few—if any—people see them. Given the massive influence we wield, they have every incentive to censor us unless they are somehow forced not to, which is unlikely to happen, at least not for a long time. I’ve even seen some idiots using Change.org—a site literally owned by George Soros—to circulate anti-leftist petitions.
As a result, we need to start ditching these platforms and migrating to new ones that are neutral or friendly.
Having our own self-hosted blogs and websites is a good start. For example, this blog is the primary means by which I communicate my ideas. So long as I pay my web hosting bill every year, no one can take it away from me. I’ve never had my primary online presence on Twitter or any other social media site because I’m not going to allow an entity that I don’t have one hundred percent control over to define me. Anyone whose primary means of reaching the world is Twitter or another social media platform is in a bad position because once they’re banned, they’ve lost everything.
In addition to having our own websites, we should begin using new social media sites and apps that replicate the functions of major ones like Twitter and Facebook, but without the censorship and gaslighting that those platforms engage in. Here are a few sites and apps you can use to replace the Big Social ones.
Twitter Replacement: Gab
I’ve already written extensively about Gab, so I’m not gonna restate much, aside from discussing why Gab is succeeding when other Twitter replacements have failed. Gab has managed to corral high-profile users from the alternative media, ensuring that the site has a steady stream of content, in addition to its feature list and functionality.
The main issues with Gab are related to the fact that it’s still in beta, so its performance isn’t ideal and it lacks some features such as private messaging. However, the site has come a long way in the past six months and is turning a profit, so I see it going places. Follow me on Gab by clicking here.
(P.S. I still have some Gab invites, which will let you skip the waitlist and set up your account instantly. Click here to find out how you can get one.)
Facebook Replacement: VK
VK (VKontakte) is sometimes referred to as the “Russian Facebook” due to its popularity there and in eastern Europe. It’s essentially a Facebook clone, with all the functionality and none of the censorship. My only problem with it is that it’s something of a ghost town for English speakers, though that will change as more people sign up. Additionally, due to the influence that the Kremline has over VK, some people might have problems with it. You can add me on VK by clicking here.
WhatsApp/Facebook Messenger Replacement: Telegram
Telegram is essentially a more secure and stable version of WhatsApp that isn’t owned by Facebook and has better performance. It’s available for both computers and phones and has a raft of security features to keep your messages secret. Most usefully, Telegram lets you create groups for conversations with multiple people simultaneously, and unlike WhatsApp, it doesn’t use your phone’s contact list. You can get Telegram here.
There are a number of other Telegram-like messaging apps I’ve used, such as Signal and Viber, that have similar functionality. I prefer Telegram, but either of those apps are acceptable substitutes. One messaging app that deserves extra consideration is Wickr, which is designed to be as secure and secretive as possible, to the point where it auto-deletes messages after 24 hours.
I haven’t been able to find a good YouTube substitute, probably because creating a video-sharing site is a far more expensive and time-consuming effort than a social media or messaging platform.
It’s important that we begin migrating off of leftist-controlled platforms so we can continue to get our message out without interference. Twitter, Facebook and other sites have made it clear that they will not allow us to speak with the same freedom we did prior to the presidential election. If you have any suggestions for alternatives to Big Social platforms, feel free to sound off in the comments.
Read Next: Twitter Has Begun Banning Right-Wingers: How to Stay in Touch with Me
The post Why Right-Wingers Need to Get Off Facebook, Twitter and Other Big Social Media appeared first on Matt Forney.