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Year Ender 2023: Elon Musk, the Tesla CEO and X (formerly Twitter) owner, arguably grabbed the highest number of headlines when weighed next to other popular tech faces in the industry. A majority of them rested around his activity on the acquired site (then Twitter) and new changes. The Blue Bird that sailed free in the microblogging sky died to make room for Musk's loving alphabet - X.

The aftershocks are not limited to rebranding. It has led to a wide range of issues, which cemented a fertile ground for other tech players to develop user-friendly X alternatives. Some of the reasons for why X's competition sprung up In 2023 include:

Also Read: Year Ender 2023: Birth Of Subscriptions To Death Of Blue Bird, How Elon Musk's Tinkering Changed X

Paid Tiers: Soon after the takeover, Musk introduced Twitter Blue (now X Premium) for users, a monetary twist on the platform. The exclusive benefits of the service include post editing, uploading longer content (texts and videos), ad revenue sharing, verification tick, better reach and more. And gradually, fresh restrictions for free users debuted, limiting the already compromised experience.

Restrictions For Free Accounts: As the upcoming enhancements around videos, images and posts continue to debut on the platform, they are mainly exclusive to paying users. Not just this, the site restricts access to basic features like two-factor authentication and calling for non-paying accounts.

Elon Musk rebranded the signature 'Blue Bird' identity to X this year. (Image:Unsplash)

Spam And Misinformation: The proliferation of fake news and spam identity accounts after the new subscriptions were among the other complaints of users. The blue hallmark of authenticity turned into a game of cash, which led to a decline of its sole purpose. Plus, the current verification tick protocol has been actively debated by experts.

Lack of Moderators: The random firing of moderators from the platform further boosted the spread of misinformation. While things continue to improve compared to the situation after the layoff, it is still not at the best to vow massive ad revenue, as was evident from the latest pause on ad spending by top tech companies like IBM and Apple.

Ad Boycott: While Musk continues to clean up boots on the platform, X continue to get embroiled in controversies as advertisers quit the platform for the ad placement next to content promoting Nazism and Musk's support for an antisemitic post. Musk has highlighted the detrimental results of the move on social forums.

Also Read: Year Ender 2023: Free iPhones To Part-Time Jobs, New Scams That Duped Indians This Year; What AI Packs For Future?

Amid all this, a range of new platforms grabbed headlines this year based on the microblogging essence of X. While some continue to undergo beta testing, others like Meta's Threads, act as the closest competition to Musk's platform. However, it still lags when it comes to the diverse feature set of X.

Meta Threads

Threads is Meta's X competitor that launched this year. (Image:Unsplash)

Debuted on July 6 this year, the half-baked rival to Elon Musk's X is among the top contenders for a switch if you wish to get your hands off the microblogging platform. The text-focused updates app functions closely with the photo-sharing app Instagram to give users a reason to join the platform. Instagram Head Adam Mosseri and Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg continue to introduce new features and updates to the app and the infant web interface. Users can sync their follower list and sign in using their Instagram IDs.

Mastodon

Mastodon User Interface (Image:Mastodon)

The decentralised network allows users to create accounts across distinct communities while they can continue to access content from other communities. According to Buffer, these instances can be used to build communities from scratch. You can upload text-based updates on the app while incorporating photos, videos and links. It is available on smartphones and the web platform.

Bluesky

Bluesky is available via an invite code. (Image:Bluesky)

The Jack Dorsey-backed app is the closest clone of X in terms of UI. Based on the screengrab shared on the Google Play Store, it offers four viewing options: Home, Search, Notifications and Profile view. A user must have an invite code to try the app on a smartphone.

While you might plan to get your hands on any of these new social platforms as an X replacement, do note the feature set does not replicate on these apps. They might offer unique elements, but be ready to miss a few features on these apps and experience the lack of many known faces.

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