Cryptocurrency and blockchain have been transforming countless industries since they caught the attention of the world several years ago. These days, there is almost no industry that has not been touched or altered in some way by these technologies, that continue to find new use cases and reveal new properties.

However, some industries are adopting and applying them better than others, as it was to be expected. Surprisingly, one of them is also the social media landscape, which actually has a great need for decentralized solutions. 

As it is right now, the landscape is controlled by a handful of corporations that hold complete power. Not only are they suffocating any potential competition, but they also collect and monetize the data of their own users. Even worse, they often prove unable to protect these same users, as we saw earlier this year, during the biggest Twitter hack in history.

As a result, decentralized social media platforms started emerging all over the world, offering a safer, more private alternative where users would control their own data and content, without having to rely on centralized companies. Here are some of the best ones out there right now.

1. Ignite

Ignite is a decentralized microblogging platform that puts a strong emphasis on the value of free speech. While most social media platforms claim to do the same, they tend to employ heavy censorship and ban everything that has something to do with unpopular opinions or undesirable topics.

Ignite offers an alternative, firmly believing that even the unpopular opinions deserve to be heard, and it only draws the line when it comes to content that calls for violence. In other words, it leaves it up to the users to choose what they wish to see, and what they wish to hide from view.

It is powered by the Prometeus framework, and in its essence, it represents a set of completely independent and equitable nodes.

2. Steemit

Steemit is a popular decentralized platform for bloggers, and it is often compared to Reddit. Launched in 2016, Steemit has been around for a while now, and it gathered up quite the following.

The platform allows its users to write texts or upload photos and images of pretty much anything, using the keyword system to help categorize posts. Best of all, it allows its users to earn money through its tokens whenever someone 'likes' their content.

This system also allows only the most liked content to get out on top, which is an incentive for users to write top-quality posts and publish their views and opinions, news, articles, and more. In return, they get the money if their post is appreciated, and also make a profit from other kinds of activities within the platform. Steemit now has almost 1.2 million registered users, and half a million active ones.

3.

Voice

Voice is a fairly new social network based on blockchain technology, that was launched only last year. It was created by Block.one, and the company built it on top of EOS' blockchain.

One of Voice's biggest concerns was the growing number and use of fake profiles which are infesting other social media networks. The platform, therefore, developed a special authentication system to ensure that every single one of its users is an actual person. If you join Voice, you won't find bots, burner accounts, catfishing accounts, and alike. Everyone is who they are, or they're out.

Once you are in, you can go forth and create content, share thoughts, give your views on hot topics, and tell the whole world if you have something interesting to say. Also, as soon as someone likes your posts, you earn Voice Tokens, and your post becomes that much more visible, regardless of how old it may be. 

4. DTube

Then, there is DTube — a decentralized version of YouTube, which comes with no censorship, demonetization, and other issues that Youtubers usually encounter on their platform. DTube allows them to create video content and get paid in digital currency. 

Best of all, it was built on top of the Steem Blockchain, just like Steemit itself. In January of this year, DTube had 62.500 users.

All in all, DTube is a young platform, but it has massive potential to become the next YouTube, only one that won't shut you down for posting content that advertisers might not like.

5. Sapien

Lastly, we have Sapien, a social media network launched in 2018, which calls itself a Web 3.0 social network. Sapien aims to give users full control of their data, reward them for creating valuable content, and most importantly — it is particularly dedicated to fighting against fake news.

With all the censorship, media manipulation, and other similar issues plaguing the online world, there truly is a need for a stubborn, fact-checking platform such as this one, which is why so many people have started using it. In January, the number of users has exceeded 6.500, and the number has likely grown since then, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic had broken out.

Conclusion

The centralized social networks has started a massive trend when it emerged, but unfortunately, it became corrupt along the way. Decentralization and transparency of blockchain can fix that, and decentralized social media platforms are in a perfect position to pick up where original social networks left off, before succumbing to success and power given to it by their own users.