As Twitter continues its descent into hell, competing social networks are struggling, way Everyone wants to take its place. If the names of Mastodon or Discord are regularly cited as the possible heirs of the blue bird firm, a new kid could well do well. It is Hive Social, a platform presented as free and inclusive , which has been gaining momentum for a few weeks.
It was in October 2019 that the American influencer Raluca Pop, also called Kassandra Pop, tired of algorithms, advertisements and restrictions on Twitter and Instagram, imagined this new generation social network. After several months of work, the young woman, a student at the time, launched the application in June 2019 with the help of a developer.
A “safe space”
And it is obviously successful, according to Teen Vogue magazine, which touted Hive as a platform that “combines the beloved features of Instagram and Twitter, with a hint of MySpace nostalgia.” Internet users can publish, share or like statuses, subscribe to other people, insert photos or videos, answer questions or join thematic communities. But they can also associate music with their profile, which plays automatically when the page is visited… like MySpace did at the time.
Presenting itself as a “safe space”, Hive Social has relied on security and inclusiveness to attract its users. When creating their profile, they can choose one or more pronouns to describe themselves, configure certain options so as not to automatically display images received in private messages or NSFW (Not Safe For Work) content, i.e. say sexual content, which is not all prohibited on the platform.
However, there is no question of automatically censoring nudity, as Instagram did at one time. In its charter, Hive Social explains that “nude images that are inherently artistic or creative” may be published, provided that the NSFW mention appears. A statement that will allow this content to be blocked for underage users.
One million users
Another strong argument could convince the most reluctant. Unlike Instagram, Hive does not use a sorting algorithm, posts are simply displayed in chronological order. Another major difference is that monetization is not based on advertising content, but on the purchase of additional “blocks” of music: $0.99 for the second, $1.99 for the third or fourth.
Criteria that have visibly seduced Internet users. On November 21, they were more than a million to use Hive Social, a figure that exploded in a few weeks, said the social network… on its Twitter account.
Thank you who? If Hive Social has no reason to thank Jacquie and Michel (of course you have), Twitter is the place to shake hands. Since the arrival of Elon Musk, the Californian company has been going through a zone of turbulence. A stir that has benefited all its competitors, including Hive Social, which has benefited from the exodus of some Twitter users. And for good reason, the divisive personality and the positions of Elon Musk have a lot to do with it. Some users, dissatisfied, left the social network after the announcement of the creation of an 8 dollar subscription, “Blue Twitter”, allowing anyone to obtain certification of their account. Others fear a rise in hate speech on the platform. Among the employees laid off on the arrival of Elon Musk are a large part of the moderation teams, raising fears of a drop in controls.
A social network still under construction
But this very young social network is still under construction. As a result, many bugs have been reported by users. First, it is only accessible on smartphone, under iOS or Android, but not yet on the Web, a lack criticized by some users. The app also has security and data protection issues. Two-factor identification, which consists of securing access to your account with a second code in addition to the password, does not exist on Hive Social. Then, to share photos, the application requests full access to your library, leading to a significant risk of hacking.
Another problem is that private messages are not end-to-end encrypted, exposing users to potential hacking. “The trend is more towards encryption everywhere: Signal and WhatsApp have it by default. And in the long term, Messenger, Instagram or Twitter are on this trajectory”, explains Numerama in an article devoted to the application. At the beginning of November, users encountered problems identifying or creating an account. For some, it was impossible to create an account, for others, they were surprised to discover identifiers identical to theirs. On November 19, 2022, the company also admitted that people had “forced themselves into the system (…) and used a roundabout way to enter”.
Hive Social has already promised changes to improve the security and data protection of its users. But these updates require money. When the project was launched, the founder, Raluca Pop, had taken out two personal loans, before receiving $25,000 from an investor, she explained to Newsweek. To be able to operate, the platform has also launched a crowdfunding campaign on WeFunderwhich has already raised over $300,000.