Given the situation with TikTok—marked by censorship and the app's recent control by MAGA-aligned interests—I checked Reddit to see what TikTok users are saying. It turns out many are asking for alternatives. Most replies suggest other proprietary apps, and I haven’t seen any recommendations for decentralized platforms like LOOPS and others from the Fediverse.

In my opinion, we now have a small but critical window of opportunity to introduce people to the Fediverse. We need to go where young people are—Reddit, Instagram, or whatever platforms they use—and explain the basics of decentralization and why choosing another proprietary app will only lead to the same outcome. LOOPS is easy to join and feels exactly like Tiktok.

I had the chance to discuss this topic with my college students just last semester. Young people are not the “imbeciles” mainstream media often portrays them to be. They see what’s happening and want to participate in change. I am firmly convinced that they are a key component of the social revolution we need, and that with their help, we could dismantle the GAFAM economy in just a few weeks.

So I believe we have to seize this moment: share, explain, and promote the Fediverse wherever you can—especially in the coming days—because every invitation is a step toward a truly free and user-owned internet.

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[–] emb@lemmy.world 6 points 21 hours ago (2 children)

I heard briefly about this on Loops actually, lol. I wonder what's the story with it? Is it some big tech company's new product, a stand-alone startup? American or some other origin? Decentralized? Open source or proprietary?

Not deadset on any of these as deal breakers, but would be nice if some aspects inspired confidence.

[–] Shellbeach@lemmy.world 2 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

Here is the FAQ you're looking for I believe: https://upscrolled.com/en/faq/

They mention that are based on Australia

[–] emb@lemmy.world 2 points 1 hour ago

Thanks, good to know.

More interesting, they at least address the decentralization question:

Why isn’t UpScrolled a decentralized platform?

Because it doesn’t work for what we’re trying to build.

UpScrolled isn’t decentralized (yet) because today’s open protocols (e.g., ActivityPub, AT Protocol) don’t reliably deliver what we need for a mainstream, video-forward app: fast global discovery, stable search/ranking, and smooth media. In practice, these stacks still lean on centralized indexing to work well, so we’re shipping the experience that works now—not a theory.

We keep things open and simple with lightweight, common-sense protections—spam/bot filtering, straightforward reporting, and consistent deletes when people remove their own content. We’re building interoperable by design (clean exports, stable APIs) and will add optional bridges to open protocols as they mature, so you can reach more people without sacrificing speed or simplicity.

Which, honestly, fair. Federation does have some issues.

I'm not seeing anything on open source tho, which I have a harder time seeing the justification for not doing. But it is what it is.

[–] Yerbouti@sh.itjust.works 6 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

It's open source and decentralized.

I haven't really used it, since I'm not interested in that format, but I know tiktok is where the youngster are and I believe many of them are not as stuck-up as people of my generation.

[–] emb@lemmy.world 3 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

Is it? That got my interest, but I can't find mention of it on their site or FAQ

(I know Loops is, maybe I wasn't clear but I was meaning to ask about the other one.)

[–] Yerbouti@sh.itjust.works 4 points 18 hours ago

Oh, I was talking about Loops, I have no clue about upscroll...