Social media has entered a tailspin following Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover. Twitter customers sad with Musk’s private {and professional} selections are flocking to alternate options.

Curiosity first piqued round Mastodon, an open-source, decentralized social media platform promising no advertisements or algorithm-influenced content material. Inside 11 days of the Musk-Twitter deal formally closing, Mastodon founder Eugen Rochko claimed the platform gained 489,003 new customers.

Now the thrill surrounds Hive, a social media app that wishes you to “categorical your self with out the strain of conventional social media apps.” 

What Is the Hive Social App?

Hive is a social media platform that mixes ideas from Myspace, Instagram and Twitter to create a well-recognized but distinctive digital expertise. It makes use of chronological feeds to cut back the consumer strain created by algorithms and promotes self-expression via Myspace-esque options like badges, coloration themes and zodiac indicators.

Regardless of the app’s declare to draw back from algorithms relating to steered content material, it’s not 100% algorithm-free. The platform’s founder, Raluca Pop, instructed Enterprise Insider she plans to average content material on Hive Social via a mixture of algorithms and human moderators. With solely three whole staff, nonetheless, no content material moderators at present work on the app.

Who Owns Hive Social?

With one other social media web site gaining reputation, it’s pure to surprise in regards to the Hive Social founder, 24-year-old Raluca Pop.

In 2019, Pop, a then-college pupil, grew to become annoyed together with her algorithm-swayed experiences on social media. She taught herself the way to code, started engaged on Hive and launched the Hive Social app on the iOS App Retailer later that 12 months.

By 2021 (after some consumer expertise updates), Hive reached the No. 1 place within the App Retailer. At this time, it has hit 2 million downloads.

Is Hive Social Free?

With Twitter including a price ticket to its blue checkmark verification, you would possibly surprise if this social platform comes with a value.

The Hive app is free to obtain and use. You could find the app in each the iOS App Retailer and the Google Play Retailer. For now, it has no advertisements, however that would change sooner or later with the inflow of recent customers and the related rising prices.

Associated Article: What Is Mastodon, the Purple-Scorching Open Supply Twitter Rival

Methods to Signal Up for Hive

If you would like a Twitter different that doesn’t require choosing out a server, Hive could be for you.

Proper now, Hive is a mobile-only social media app — no desktop model is accessible. You’ll be able to obtain it from the iOS App Retailer or Google Play. You can even discover a obtain on the Hive Social web site.

When you obtain and open the app, you’ll should create an account. You’ll want an electronic mail handle or a Google account for the Hive Social join course of. The app then asks to your age (which it says it retains personal).

Subsequent, it’s time to create a username and show identify.

Some folks have reported points discovering a username, with all usernames seeming to be taken. Hive said a rush of 40K new sign-ups took down a server, and a repair is on the best way. This glitch just isn’t affecting all new customers.

When you’ve discovered a username, you’ll select a minimal of three pursuits from a listing. You’ll be able to select from choices like astrology, tech, books, sports activities, tenting and robotics. You can even use the search operate to search out your particular pursuits sooner.

As soon as join is full (no electronic mail verification essential if signing up by way of Google), you’ll be redirected to your feed web page within the app.

Methods to Use Hive

Navigation on the app is easy — there are 5 tabs on the backside of the display.

Entry Your Feed

The tab on the far left (with the hive icon) is your feed. Posts will pop up right here as soon as you discover folks to observe. As a brand new consumer, you’ll see a button on this display that claims “begin exploring,” In case you click on it, it is going to take you to the following tab over, the uncover tab.

Uncover Individuals and Content material

The uncover tab, with the magnifying glass icon, is the place you’ll be able to flick through trending, new and topic-based pictures (much like Instagram) to search out posts to love and folks to observe. You can even use the search bar on the high to lookup particular matters, pursuits, posts or customers.

As you browse, you would possibly come throughout a number of accounts with the identical username — one other aspect impact of the server glitch. Whereas this challenge might pave the best way for impersonators, Hive is aware of of the issue and is on the lookout for options.

Create New Posts

The third tab, marked with a circle and plus signal, is the put up tab. It’s the place you kind out your ideas and publish them to your followers to see. You can even connect pictures to posts, add in GIFs, stickers and emojis and create polls.

View all

Evaluate Notifications

The fourth tab, with the acquainted bell icon, is your notifications hub. Right here you’ll be able to see who’s following you and observe them again. You can even see who preferred your posts, commented, shared and extra.

Personalize Your Profile

The final tab on the far proper — together with your profile icon — is your profile web page. That is the place you’ll be able to add a profile and background picture. You can even write a bio, point out your web site and show your zodiac signal. Sooner or later, Hive plans so as to add a profile music characteristic (suppose Myspace).

Your profile web page exhibits your posts, followers and folks you observe. There’s additionally a query mark icon within the high proper nook, which shows questions folks have requested you and your solutions.

You’ll be able to entry the settings by way of the gear icon out of your profile web page. That is the place you modify safety and notification settings and play with coloration themes. You’ll be able to customise the ask characteristic (the query mark icon above) to regulate who can ask you questions and if they continue to be nameless.

This settings display can also be the place you’ll be able to log off of the app. Simply don’t neglect your Hive social login if you wish to use it once more.

Associated Article: Twitter’s Turbulent 12 months, as Seen By means of One Fired Worker’s Cartoons

Is Hive Secure to Use?

Every week in the past, most individuals thought-about Hive as protected as another social media web site. Now, that’s modified.

On Nov. 30, German cybersecurity firm Zerforschung launched a warning — on Twitter and their web site homepage — urging folks to not use Hive Social in any kind.

Zerforschung claimed they discovered a number of vital vulnerabilities relating to the positioning’s safety. This warning comes after the corporate tried to contact Hive confidentially, however not noticed no decision.

The safety vulnerabilities discovered permit attackers to entry all consumer knowledge, together with electronic mail addresses, telephone numbers, personal messages, deleted direct messages and extra. Attackers may also overwrite knowledge, comparable to altering the textual content in one other consumer’s put up.

Hive’s response to the warning report was to show off all servers — that means the platform is at present down (nonetheless down as of Dec. 1). The corporate did promise Hive can be out there once more in just a few days, after points have been mounted.

Is Hive Right here to Keep?

Hive continues to be a fledgling social media firm with just a few years underneath its belt. Does it have the stamina to overhaul Twitter?

Hive Social hit 2 million downloads and practically 900,000 active users. It at present sits at No. 6 on the charts for Google Play’s high free social apps (and 83 out of all free apps). 

Mastodon, the open-source Twitter different, hit 2.6 million customers this November, in line with Fortune. It ranks twentieth on Google Play’s high free social apps chart (and doesn’t rank inside the high 100 of all free apps). 

Twitter, as compared, ranks third among the many high free social apps and thirty fourth out of all free apps. And as of the second quarter of 2022, Twitter had 237.8 million customers — up greater than 8 million from the earlier quarter.

Whereas Twitter alternate options like Hive Social and Mastodon would possibly discover an inflow of recent customers (and even devoted advocates), it’s laborious to say if they’ll overtake a social big like Twitter. Regardless of Musk’s takeover, Twitter continues to develop, and it’s trying extra seemingly that it’s going to stay close to the highest of the social meals chain.