The problem is that this isn't like Microsoft Office > LibreOffice/OnlyOffice/whatever. You're not on Facebook for Facebook, you're on Facebook for the people there. It's why I have a lot of issues getting off of YouTube. I'm not on YouTube because their interface is nice, I'm on YouTube because the people I want to watch don't post shit elsewhere. It's a cycle, to get users we need stuff, and for stuff we need creators, and for creators we need users. When it comes to online platforms we don't need an alternative to YouTube, we need an alternative to Markiplier, which is harder to come up with.

If you can get your friends, and family onto Friendica that would help quite a bit. The problem is that using a new server is hard for the end user (I would know, all of my fediverse presence is on servers I host), and telling someone "Use Friendica" is like telling someone to "Use email". Get a Friendica/Mastodon/Whatever server, and keep it in your back pocket. Give them a link to that server, not to Friendica/Mastodon/Whatever as a whole.

Admittedly I don't know how hard it is to stop using Facebook because I stopped using Facebook right after they took away the chronological timeline, and stopped using Messenger a few years ago. But spending some time to get a timeline together that you can boost will help any new users you recruit. Crucially, to promote viable alternatives, you need to be part of the viable alternatives, otherwise you're just someone telling someone to jump into something new with 0 guidance, which is a good way to have them leave.

The viable alternative is nothing.

Because no one gives a shit about you (general you, not specific at BitsAndBites), or about what you say. You use it cause you're addicted to performing for people you dont even talk to or like, because no one can actually maintain hundreds, if not thousands of connections like you collect on facebook, most of whom don't even give a shit about you. its just a mutual masturbation session, only instead of jerking each others dicks off, your jerking eachother off with pointless likes.

All social media is, is a means of generating profit from mental illness, and manufacturing mental illness for profit.

Facebook to Friendica

Twitter/Threads to Mastodon/Euclavd

Instagram to Pixelfed/Vernissage

Tiktok to Loops

YouTube to PeerTube

Anything else?

Edit:

Whatsapp to Signal/Delta Chat/Cwtch/Briar

Reddit to Lemmy/Piefed/Pylova

"Let's have tacos tonight." "Nah Im not feeling tacos." "OK let's get Chinese food." "Nah i don't want Chinese food." "..ok.. let's make soup. " "Nah I don't want soup tonight."

I stopped using Facebook years ago.

Before there were viable alternatives.

The idea that you need Facebook because there aren't significant alternatives is just not true.

No alternative is viable if no one uses it.

The network effect is real, and it's what lets these fascism pushers stay top of mind at all times.