When I first considered signing up for Minds I was a bit concerned about how I would be received there - the site is known for having a lot of Right-Wing politics. Was I about to walk into an alt-right circlejerk?
Minds is pro-free speech social media site, and aside from Gab, has probably attracted the most support from right-wing members of any such site. I don't inherently mind that (no pun intended), but I am looking for potentially enlightening conversations, and political bubbles don't tend to lend themselves to that. However, one day I decided to take the plunge at just see what the site has to offer. To my own mild surprise, I have found myself going back to it nearly everyday over the past few weeks. So what have I found that is so interesting to me?
Although the site certainly leans Right, you will truly find people of every political stripe on the site. I have found the alt-right, but I've also found Socialists, Social Democrats, Centrists, Anarchists, and Libertarians. It is a fantastic variety of people, all brought together by the promise of free speech and anonymity. It is finally a chance to share all of the thoughts we have, whether they are politically correct or not - and let's keep it real, we all have some beliefs that are not totally PC.
Today it occurred to me that what I really like about the site is that its rewards system and general setup lends itself to *discussion* rather than just upvotes or downvotes. Unlike Facebook there aren't a bunch of different reactions to dismiss those you disagree with, or a way to just report them. Instead, the culture is such that if you have a problem with somebody, you handle it like an adult. You either move on, or you leave a comment with your point of view. This has led to a lot of interesting conversations over the past few weeks. As long as you aren't easily offended, I'd recommend checking the site out! Even with my left-leaning politics I don't really need to care if I piss some people off, since I'm not going to get banned or "cancelled" anyway. It's a nice feeling.
https://www.minds.com/register?referrer=pirateofthedtube
