Bluesky
bsky.appA fast-growing open network built on the AT Protocol: chronological feeds, custom algorithms and no single corporate owner of the timeline.
The social web has been reshuffled: Twitter became X, new text networks rose to challenge it, and several familiar names disappeared. Here is the current map.
The big platforms are still big: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, Reddit, Pinterest, Snapchat, Discord and TikTok all remain active. The real change has been in short text posting. Twitter rebranded to X in 2023 and is now part of Elon Musk's xAI; Meta's Threads has grown into its largest rival, while Bluesky and Mastodon attract users who prefer open, decentralized networks. TikTok's US operations moved to a US-controlled joint venture in early 2026, with Oracle and other American investors holding the majority stake.
A fast-growing open network built on the AT Protocol: chronological feeds, custom algorithms and no single corporate owner of the timeline.
Real-time chat servers for communities of every kind, from gaming to study groups: text, voice and video under one roof.
Meta's flagship remains the world's largest social network: friends and family, groups, marketplace and events.
Meta's photo and video network: Stories, Reels and DMs. Alongside Facebook, the default way to keep up with people you know.
Microsoft-owned LinkedIn is effectively the only game in town for professional networking, hiring and industry news.
Mashable has covered internet culture, tech and social media since 2005: platform news, reviews and the stories behind whatever the internet is talking about today.
Once the world's biggest social network, MySpace lives on as a music and nostalgia site. Listed for history's sake; the action moved elsewhere long ago.
The neighborhood network: local recommendations, lost pets, garage sales and crime chatter, verified to your actual neighborhood.
Visual discovery for ideas: recipes, home projects, style and inspiration boards. More search engine than social feed, and pleasantly low-drama.
The web's biggest collection of topic-based communities. Whatever your interest, there is a subreddit discussing it right now.
Disappearing photo and video messaging with hundreds of millions of daily users, still a primary network for younger audiences.
Meta's text-posting network and the largest alternative to X, with over 400 million monthly users. The easiest switch if you already use Instagram.
The center of short-form video culture. Its US operations are now run by a US-controlled joint venture with Oracle among the lead investors.
Live streaming built around gaming and creator communities, with chat at the center. Effectively a social network organized around watching together.
Twitter rebranded to X in 2023 and is now part of xAI. Still the largest short-text network and the fastest place to follow breaking news, sports and public conversation.
The video platform where every skill lives: 2.5 billion monthly users, and a walkthrough for practically any task you can name. Search what you want to do and someone has filmed it.
Meta's two flagships remain the default for staying in touch, events and photo sharing.
X is still the largest, especially for breaking news and sports. Threads is the easiest switch if you already use Instagram. Bluesky offers chronological and custom feeds without a single corporate algorithm, and Mastodon takes that further with fully independent servers.
Reddit is the web's biggest collection of topic-based communities; Discord hosts real-time chat servers for everything from gaming to study groups.
Owned by Microsoft, LinkedIn is effectively the only game in town for professional profiles, hiring and industry news.
YouTube dominates long-form and how-to video; TikTok remains the center of short-form video culture.
A few notable exits since this directory's early days: Omegle shut down in 2023, Skype was retired by Microsoft in 2025 in favor of Teams, and MySpace lingers on mostly as a music-nostalgia site. We keep this category updated as the landscape shifts.
Twitter itself still exists as X (x.com) after its 2023 rebrand, and it remains the largest short-text network. The biggest alternatives are Meta's Threads, Bluesky and Mastodon, all of which grew substantially after the rebrand.
Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, X, Threads, LinkedIn, Reddit, Pinterest, Snapchat, Discord and WhatsApp are the major active platforms, with Bluesky and Mastodon as notable decentralized alternatives.
Technically yes; myspace.com still exists as a music and nostalgia site, but it has not been a mainstream social network for many years.