How do you Hive?
With the December deadline looming in Australia for social media websites to require us to ID ourselves to prove our age, it's got me wondering how much value they offer and whether I can gain that from other sources, in particular Hive. While Hive has come a long way since its emergence in 2016 it still struggles to draw people in at any significant level, so where is it falling short?
Image courtesy of @thepeakstudio
How I use other social media
The main social media platforms I use outside of Hive are YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Discord.
Instagram is probably the easiest one to walk away from. I'm already starting to distance myself from it because it feels more toxic than good lately. I will miss the direct messaging feature and the ease with which I can just quickly send a little reel to friends and family I don't see often to make them smile. For those in the same country it will be easy enough to text message instead, but I'll probably have to return to email for those back in the UK.
I've enjoyed sharing videos of climbing and the community I've connected with on Instagram. These videos are mostly around a minute long, which I can probably load onto 3speak, but with only a few thousand unique active accounts I don't think I'll find many people interested enough in climbing to want to see records of my painfully slow advances in skill. Also, short form content is generally frowned upon here, especially if you've got a lot of autovotes coming in. Potentially I could make a new account for that, more for my own benefit to document my progress, but it would likely be without the climbing community side of things at the level I've been used to, so I might feel like I'm just talking to a void or just myself.
I should probably note that while short form content is often frowned upon here on Hive, it's hard to deny that there is demand for it nevertheless. As @holoz0r's analysis for August demonstrates while the majority of posts fall between 100 and 250 words by a large margin, posts at <50 get the largest proportion of rewards by far. I can only speculate what the majority of these posts are, they could videos or memes, but regardless of our opinions on short form content there is demand for it and @meno has been working on an app with the intention of meeting that demand and encouraging more uptake of Hive.
YouTube
YouTube I mostly use as podcasts while I'm travelling with my work. Most of my drives are fairly long so I prefer videos no shorter than 50 minutes long. A lot of the videos on 3speak are very short, which would be of no use to me. I did try out the 3speak website recently and listened to one of @bobaphet's Splinterlands 101 podcasts with @mattclarke and @giotrix, which worked out well. I noticed that it was pretty easy to get to his various other videos from his page and it looked similar to YouTube in that regard. I'm not sure how good it is at coming up with other recommended videos once you've finished one, however. This is something that has been useful with my YouTube app when a video finishes while I'm still diving and it will automatically move onto something else similar. I can't be searching for content while driving, after all.
I'm not sure how long the 3speak app has been going, but I found it very hard to find anything using it. I wanted to search by account name and got nowhere. It doesn't feel very intuitive for me. Perhaps I'm missing something, though.
I can, of course, always move over to a podcast app, but I'm guessing this will probably involve a subscription cost. Any recommendations would be appreciated.
I don't post on my page on Facebook at all. I deleted an account there once due to controversy and toxicity both online and off which made me reluctant to share any of my personal life there. I created a new account purely to use the groups. I've also taken to using Messenger for video calling with family in the UK. I could probably go back to Skype for that if I can remember my account details. I also purchase through an organic food co-op on there, but they have expanded enough to also use emails for those members not on Facebook, so I'll be able to continue with that.
I won't be able to stay on with the Buy Nothing group, so moving on items I no longer need or use will have to go through charity shop donations again or binning things and I guess I'll be going back to buying straight away instead of checking if others have things they aren't using any more first.
Discord
Now finding a replacement for Discord is going to be tough if this is on the list for restricted social media. All of my direct messaging and general community discussions with others on Hive are done on Discord. Losing access to this would affect my ability to curate fully.
While Peakd has a direct messaging and community chat option it doesn't seem to have been taken up very well. Most of the chat there seems to be from well over a year ago and it didn't work very well on my tablet anyway, so I haven't been able to use it. I don't know if any of the other front ends have something that works better. For most of the communities they're pretty well settled on Discord anyway.
Is Hive limited?
I'd love for Hive to be able to replace all of these social media apps. The theory and concept behind it was that anything can be built onto the blockchain, however, there are a some obstacles which probably aren't easily overcome.
In some ways the monetary rewards can be a negative rather than a benefit to general uptake and genuine interaction. The way Discord is used by many here isn't something where we'd want rewards for every little interaction. That would devalue the reward pool for posts where we want to encourage rewards. Earning rewards can also end up being prioritised over genuine interest and interaction. I'm grateful to have a few people who will read and interact on my posts, but most of the votes I get are automatic ones (not that I'm complaining I'm grateful that I've earnt that trust) from people who aren't even reading or watching.
We're all aware of the farming, plagiarism and AI generated content that comes from the money aspect side of Hive. So we get a lot of low grade content. The quality content generally seems to come from those whose focus places the content over the earnings.
What are your thoughts? Do you think these demands for ID and biometrics on other platforms inventivise more people to give Hive a better chance or do you think it's still too complex or intimidating for most people?
Instagram I can say goodbye to, even as a photographer! The problem is, I have a few thousand business cards printed with my instagram handle on them.
I guess I have a telephone number printed on that same business card.
YouTube is tough, because for me, I have a premium YouTube subscription for YouTube music. Sharn watches a lot of YouTube, and I do too- there's a lot of good brain food on there, but I suppose if I never watched another YouTube video again in my life, I don't think I would be losing anything too major.
The Facebook side is tough, as so many of my friends do not text, they use Facebook messenger instead. Local events and outreach is harder to organise around without that "community" feel. And marketplace is so very good for getting rid of stuff and finding cheap 2nd hand things you didn't know you needed.
There are other options for messaging - signal, telegram, but I think they'll be covered by the "ban".
I think most people will just suck it up and validate their IDs. I don't think all that much will change.
These sites have such a huge reach, you'd pretty much be starting again if you went to anywhere else. No-one's going to want to do that, so they've got everyone where they want them, for sure. Facebook is used by businesses too. It's often easier to find information on there than on their websites.
I think you'll be able to use YouTube if you're not logged in, it will be limited, though.
I've heard WhatsApp will probably be included as well. Something I've only used once before anyway.
@topcomment
I just had a chat with Sharn about this - our non-negotiables are probably:
We can live without the others. The thing is, we're not children, and our accounts on some of these platforms are >16 years old anyway!
Oh, wow! I'm pretty sure my accounts aren't that old, so would require further proof of age. It will be interesting to know if they still try to require proof of age from you, though.
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I got kicked off fedbook in 2012.
It was 4 years of forum hell until that other chain started.
In the few months before finding that one I found this one.
https://www.minds.com/FreeBornAngel
It doesn't have many users, but many are old timers.
'Secure' chat, group chats, and no email requirements unless you want to reset your password.
You can create a new account each time you use it, and they are ok with that.
Depending on how much reach you get is how the reward pool is split each day.
Engagement is rewarded.
Their token is an erc-20, and does have value.
Thanks for the tip. I'll have to find a moment to have a look. It's the first time I'm hearing of it
Hey, I had created an account and simply forgot about it .. not even sure how this thing works, but I did subscribe to you there :)
I use it like a twitter to store news links and short form posts.
Don't use it for video, they disappear after 30 days unless you pay for storage.
Thanks for subscribing.
Are these still exist ?... 🤔🤔🤔🤔
IG > Never opened an account
FB > Got out of the sickness in 2012
YT > Rarely watches some video..
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Hive > my second home...❤️ but still there are few things that make hive unfriendly to the.new user.
You are an example that we can live without them. 😁
It will be a wait and see, but if its to much effort let's dump them all and stick to hive, we all have an encryption key for private messaging
I suspect they will try and make it as uncomfortable as possible for a better take up rate, hence throwing the search engines in.
I was stop use Facebook-instagram , Twitter ... jan.. , long long time back . I feel more free, and i have more time to find new things. But if you're still stuck with these stupid digital weapons - ( which uses society against its own country if it does not submit to globalism and private corporate interests, and + you are being spied on every day without you knowing it...this how this old pages work ) ...but..but ...if you are still there just because your friends are there, that's a big mistake. Be the first among your friends to get out there and use and find something new. Soon they'll start asking what you're using, and some will follow you.
A lot of people say this when they have a break from social media. They feel happier too. Yet they still go back to it. I don't think I'll have anyone follow me here, I don't have many meatspace friends. 😅
I think Discord will be the problematic one to lose because I do so much Hive communication through it.
Most of the time they go back because this system manipulates them back in. If they are not aware of how it actually works, then going back is a normal attitude. Weak mind .... what I can say .
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who cares about pukebook.
..err discord, is that social media definition? I guess so..
Gosh.. why are we not teaching people words are just words, too many people pinning hopes on being internet stars?? get hurt easy or personal brand damaged... gosh... lost connection with reality.
I wonder if some sort of detox process for kids under age and addicted.. are schools and parents equipped for a cold turkey.
That's a good question. I feel like a lot of parents will just verify themselves and then let their kids use one in their name. Although that's why they might use biometrics to check who's actually using it. Alternatively they'll figure out how to host their own VPN to circumvent it.
if they use biometrics, they should write identities to a block chain like hive...wow, what ever happens here, moving forward..the future is going to be bizarre.
I do worry for phycological effect of being ripped away, they might need a rehab tailor off approach.
changes to be made
This is a great post.
I recently read somewhere that X will also require full id verification when a creator is paid by it. Real people and the identities are of value, but the big social players receive all the value out of it.
I dont think that I am ready to give up other channels, as it is part of my job to use them too - but I do use them in my personal accounts as a path to connect my followers to blockhain and hive.
I have an account with X but don't really use it. The same with TikTok and I think I may have even made a Reddit one at some point. 🤣
I think the invasion of privacy will become more intense in the near future. Of course, there will be those who will say that remaining immune to the control that states seek to intensify is already impossible.
Unfortunately, I think they are partly right. Unless one decides to become a digital hermit, and why not? A real one.
I use most of the social media you mentioned, but with considerable reluctance because of what you point out: toxicity and gossip. But the greatest risk of negative effects lies in the information we give to megacorporations and governments.
I propose an exercise. Ask any of the online AIs associated with internet browsers what they know about you. You might be surprised! But rest assured, they will only tell you the tip of the iceberg; they will keep the rest to themselves, God knows for what purpose.
Hive is a space of freedom within the digital prison we have already entered of our own free will, and as you say, it offers services similar to those of megacorporations. I think Hive is great, despite the learning curve obstacles. It's still somewhat difficult to find content. I'm not sure why. Perhaps it's due to its decentralized nature, where the immutability and security of the blockchain make content indexing processes inefficient. I'm confident the Hive developer community will overcome this.
In my particular case, incorporating my family into Hive has been an uphill battle. Why? They find it complicated and very demanding. I don't think so! Have I gotten used to it?
Anyway, I don't feel like a slave to social media anymore. I use it when I should and when I want. By the way, the one I use intensively is YouTube, a replacement for traditional television channels (broadcast and cable). I think I'd regret giving it up altogether. 3Speak is a good alternative, but it still needs a lot of improvement and a wide variety of content available in all languages.
I'm not sure I want to know. 😅
It's still very fragmented in this regard on Hive. I think there are search engines you can use, but the problem is trying to remember what they are. It would be easier if they were included in one of the commonly used front-ends. It's not easy to find older posts in our personal blogs, either, as it would be if we were blogging on our own website.
YouTube has been going for much longer and has a much bigger user base, which means it's going to be way ahead in that regard. We have a lot of catching up to do. Anyone building on here invests a lot of time and, I'm guessing, money into it. We've had a few failed projects too, which isn't surprising.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I always enjoy your input.
I believe that Hive could become all of these Web2 networks, not now I think, but who knows in the future with advances in the network.
It certainly has the potential, it just needs people with the skills, interest and belief in the chain.
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼good post!
I've never heard of that thing in Australia. This is horrible! The more reasons to use decentralized stuff...
The UK is implementing it already, I believe. The sites want to roll out out regardless of the country eventually anyway, by the look of it:
https://redact.dev/blog/youtube-id-verification-uk-australia-online-safety-age-assurance-2025
And sure it's "only for age verification" 🙄
Well of course, it's all about the children, even the Simpsons know that.
@minismallholding really enjoyed reading your reflections on Hive as a potential alternative amid Australia's looming ID rules—it's a timely reminder of why decentralized platforms matter. Y
They can announce stuff all they like. We'll see what actually happens.
It's certainly rather vague. I'm not entirely convinced that they'll be looking to sue the tech companies anyway, because if this is anything to go by those companies are looking to do this themselves anyway and are using the UK and Australia's examples to piggyback on.
The internet's a big place. If YouTube gets dumb it'll take the youngsters about 10 seconds to adopt its replacement.
So we just need to see what they decide to adopt.
I get the feeling the companies won't necessarily ask for ID, but will update the terms so you'll end up agreeing to them using anything you've uploaded as biometric ID