As Twitter continues to see its user count dwindle by the minute – amid speculation that the app may be shut down entirely – people are shopping around for their new digital home.

Some are flocking towards newer, lesser-known social media platforms while others are returning to some tried and true apps.

Although Instagram and TikTok offer a more visual platform with photo, video and story sharing functionalities, they do not quench the thirst of users in search of a forum-like discussion platform like Twitter.

Here are some of the top contenders for Twitter alternatives:

• Hive Social

This week, social media app Hive Social was thrust into the spotlight, reaching a milestone of one million users following Twitter’s gargantuan decline.

The Gen-Z focused app was founded in 2019 by then 22-year-old Kassandra Pop, and features a melange of concepts from different social media networks including Twitter and Instagram.

Hive promises a chronological feed – a feature that is rare on algorithm-heavy social media apps like Instagram – that brings back what users “love about social media in a new way”.

Users can post images and video content and also have the option to include several personalised features like their zodiac sign and pronouns.

Users also have the option of adding music to their profiles.

On Tuesday morning Hive was trending in Australia, sitting at number two on Twitter’s trending searches. By the afternoon, it had jumped to the No.1 trending topic.

Tweet from @TheHIVE_Social

Hive’s rapid growth has not been without its fair share of comments from critics.

One sceptic is Twitter user @Tavernaut, who posted an 18-thread post questioning how much we really know about the new platform.

With their main queries and concerns surrounding the app’s funding and rather small team of employees, @Tavernaut tweeted they were initially eager to jump on board the new shiny toy in the world of social media, but a closer look at Hive revealed it still has a long way to go.

A quick glance at Hive’s LinkedIn page shows it has two employees listed, a number @Tavernaut took issue with. 

“People are touting the fact that they have only 2 people working on the app as a good thing. Looking at it from an IT perspective, though? Two employees are absolutely not enough to ensure a social media app with 600k+ users like this runs reliably and securely,” one tweet read.

Tweet from @tavernaut

According to a report by Mashable, when Ms Pop first launched Hive, she took out two personal loans to hire a freelance developer and pay for server space.

An angel investor then contributed $25,000 to help cover expenses. 

Ms Pop told Mashable the app has received more than $300,000 through crowdfunding site WeFunder from upwards of 800 people since last week. 

• Mastodon

As users fly away from the little blue bird, social media platform Mastodon continues to grow.

Following the initial mass exodus of Twitter users, Mastodon appeared to be the next best thing in forum-based social platforms, with many dubbing it ‘the next Twitter’.

Of the many platforms that former and presently reluctant Twitter users are flocking to, Mastodon is most similar to Twitter in terms of functionality.

Mastodon launched in 2016 and is a decentralised social media platform where users can start their own server, also known as an instance, and can decide on their own rules for their community, offering them a sense of autonomy.