In what could be a headache for Meta, decentralized alternatives to Instagram are growing in leaps and bounds. Pixel fade It is a free, open source photo sharing site that was first created in 2018 and over the years has been mostly accessible via Web or through third-party apps– However, this week Pixelfed Announced The launch of its own mobile app for iOS and Android signals major expansion for the site, which already has around 330,000 users and a growing support base.
Pixelfed tries to present itself as everything that Instagram isn't. Unlike Meta's site, Pixelfed has no ads and offers users charter that respects their “fundamental rights” to “Engage in an online space that respects privacy, dignity, and well-being.” The charter promises limited but consensual data collection. Transparent algorithm and a surveillance-free experience with no web tracking. “Pixelfed has a lot going for it. But one thing is that this is not an opportunity for VCs or anyone else to destroy this atmosphere.” I have rejected VC funding and will not inject any form of advertising. in this project” Daniel Supernault, creator of Pixelfed just wrote On Mastodon “Pixelfed is for people”
Respect for user autonomy is probably why the app seems to be growing in popularity. Indeed, Pixelfed's growth has exploded in recent weeks. The platform has announced an influx of users who have been testing the current resources of small teams from time to time. “We are seeing a surge in traffic to pixelfed.social at an unprecedented level And we're working to provide additional services and resources!” Mastodon's website page Written on Sunday–
You can understand how this might make Meta more than a little worried. earlier this week Concerns were raised on 404 Media. reported that The tech giant was caught censoring and removing links to Pixelfed on its own website. Meta used spam policy violations as an excuse. When receiving feedback from Engadget Meta claims that deleting Pixelfed links is considered a “mistake” and that they will be reinstated at a later date.
Gizmodo has reached out to Meta for comment.
The social media industry is in a state of unprecedented change. And competition between mainstream platforms and low-fi alternatives has increased to new heights, as Mastodon and other Fediverse sites have Been here for many yearsElon Musk's takeover of Twitter has propelled such alt sites into the mainstream. Now, as users look for alternatives to X on sites like Bluesky and Hive, it makes sense that web users might be interested in finding alternatives to them. Meta deals as TikTok threatens to disappear forever Web users flock to other Chinese apps Red NoteAlthough they might be smarter to move to Loops instead. Another alternative to Fediverse that Supernault launched last year