Minds

Submission 1,733

About

Minds is an open source microblogging alt-tech platform generally deemed similar to Twitter and Facebook in its functionality. Launched in 2015 and allowing its users to support other members with token donations, the platform saw an uptick in popularity in early 2021 following the suspension of Donald Trump from Twitter and other social networks after the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol.

History

In 2011, Bill Ottman and John Ottman co-founded Minds,^[1] an open source social networking service developed as an alternative to existing social networks, with Bill Ottman stating the goal of "bringing a free, open source and sustainable social network to the world."

On February 7th, 2015, the beta version of the network was launched,^[2]^[3] with the mobile version launching on May 1st, 2015.

Features

Similar to other social networks, Minds allows users to post content to their timeline and interact with posts made by other users by liking or disliking, sharing and commenting.

Minds is open source and is integrated with blockchain technology.^[4] The network is advertised a more private alternative to traditional social media. Minds uses end-to-end encryption for personal messages sent by the users and provides an option for registering anonymously.

The platform allows users to support each other with money or Minds Tokens, a form of cryptocurrency based on Ethereum ERC20 tokens. The tokens can be earned via creating and interacting with content. Additionally, tokens can be spent to boost views to promote user's content, with one token being worth 1,000 views.^[5]

Highlights

In 2018, over 150,000 Vietnamese users joined Minds following a crackdown on social media in the country.^[6] Starting in May 2020, over 250,000 Thai users joined Minds over growing privacy concerns regarding Twitter, with Minds responding by adding Thai language support and server upgrades.^[7]

In May 2019, Motherboard^[11] reported about notable neo-Nazi presence on the network.

In January 2021, following the suspension of the United States President Donald Trump from Twitter and other social networks that followed the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol, Minds saw an uptick in popularity among the users, with multiple users on Twitter^[8]^[9]^[10] and other social media reporting creating Minds account.

Traffic

In 2015, Minds^[12] reported having over 60 million visits to the site. In May 2020, Minds^[7] reported having over 2.5 million registered users and 300,000 monthly active users.

Parler

Parler is a microblogging and social networking service generally deemed similar to Twitter in its functionality. Parler is marketed as an unbiased, free-speech social media platform and has gained notoriety as a haven for social media personalities who have been banned by mainstream platforms, earning Parler popularity among conservative, far-right and alt-right users. In early January 2021, after the storming of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of Trump, several big tech companies suspended or banned Parler from their app stores and web-hosting services due to the platform's involvement in hosting user-generated content leading up to the riots.