Miscellanea is the newsletter for the independent thinker, at the intersection of digital content, information management and culture. In this edition, I discuss new social media platforms, how to fight Chat Control and reading statistics.
Édition n° 11 . Date: 27 July 2026
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Here, in Europe (not a country, he-he), everyone launches a new social media platform. OK, not everyone, but social platforms are a hot topic in founders' circles. And a bit of competition in the space is necessary. I think everyone is frustrated by how Instagram ended up: filled with copycat content, where the algorithm dictates what you’ll see, and comments filled with hate, spam, and AI slop. Don’t get me started on the ads. Threads is not far away. They recently introduced ads to the For You feed. The implementation is so good (not) that the feed just freezes after an ad.
Going back to our European platforms, the ones that have traction now are: Mastodon-the oldest, launched in 2016; Eurosky- created on the AT Protocol (the same protocol that powers Bluesky), Monnett- wannabe Instagram, back when Instagram was still cool; and eYou- a take on Facebook and Twitter with a real-time fact-checking system.
I want to talk about Mastodon and Eurosky, the platforms I’m using daily. I wasn’t a big poster on the old Twitter, but it was the place I checked for breaking news, cultural updates and politics. After its changes, that aggregation of information dissipated. On Mastodon I’m following developers, security experts, and science academics. On Eurosky I have historians, institutions, and journalists. And each app has its own netiquette. Mastodon has a content warning feature, where you can blur the content of a post. Both platforms have a caption notification when you add images, reminding you to include descriptions.
What gives “flavour” to a social platform are the informal communities and groups: like-minded people that want to stay in contact, communicate and debate around a topic. And I learned that it’s natural, maybe healthier, to have these communities fragmented. Yes, these platforms don’t have the reach and millions of users, but they have an open, even relaxed atmosphere, without the performative mindset found on mainstream platforms.
And here’s where we should ask ourselves: what do we want from a social platform?
A place of genuine connection, where you exchange ideas and discover people? or an extractive platform of capital, attention and energy, where everything is becoming beige?
I’m not saying you should delete every mainstream app and use a decentralised platform. The algorithmic networks are not some entities outside our control that cannot be changed. They are lines of code, created by companies with business KPIs.
What I am saying is that it’s good to know that alternatives exist, and for these alternatives to thrive, they need active people. Learn about them, create an account, post, ask questions, debate something. By changing our habits and getting out of this fatalistic mindset that only the big platforms win, that things cannot change, we can create a better digital future.
The communications theorist Marshall McLuhan said it better in 1964, in this book “Understanding Media”:
“Once we have surrendered our senses and nervous systems to the private manipulation of those who would try to benefit from taking a lease on our eyes and ears and nerves, we don’t really have any rights left.”
I have on my blog an article with more technical details about Mastodon, Eurosky and also newcomers like eYou, Monnett and Wedium (not to be confused with Medium). Give it a read and see if you want to try out one of them. And say hi if you do!
Recommendations
A recent article from The Atlantic, The End of Reading Is Here”, created a small teapot storm on social platforms. The conclusion is that Americans read less for pleasure, have difficulty grasping complex texts, and they are reading simpler texts. The article quotes Brian Bannon, the chief librarian at the New York Public Library, who says that “The most popular novel written for adults was the romantasy adventure Onyx Storm”. And the gap between the U.S. and other countries is visible. On her blog (Link), Jessica Talisman shows that on the literacy score “among G7 nations specifically, the U.S. average (258) fell below Japan (288), the U.K. (271), Canada (270), and Germany (265), though it scored above France (252) and Italy (243).” via The Atlantic
When looking at the European Union, we have the highest rate of reading (of at least one book) in Luxembourg (75.2%), followed by Denmark (72.1%) and Estonia (70.7%). On the other side, Romania: “only 29.5% of people had read books in the 12 months before the survey, 33.1% in Cyprus and 35.4% in Italy.” via Eurostat.
The neuroscientist Anne-Laure Le Cunff lists seven benefits of reading, all backed by science: stress reduction, mental stimulation, memory improvement, vocabulary expansion, better focus, improved brain connectivity, and stronger analytical skills. Check her article for all the details. Link
Last week, the European Parliament voted to extend the law that permits big companies to voluntarily scan messages, emails and images for CSAM. This temporary regulation, so-called Chat Control v1, will be valid until 2028. The scanning of encrypted messages is not included in this version, but the negotiations will continue, and a new voting session will happen in the autumn. What can we do? Write to your representative in the European Parliament. You can use this website (link) to stay informed and customise your messages. Talk with family, friends and on social platforms about the problems of this ruling. And, last, move away from Big Tech platforms. It will be harder to implement Chat Control when we diversify our service providers.
Launching the Questionnaire section
I’ve always been curious about what people are reading, how they take notes, and what digital tools they like or miss. The new section will be called “The Questionnaire” and will include six questions on books, bookshops, writing, and technology.
In the next edition, Lex Roman- writer, publisher, and community convener- will share their recommendations. Subscribe here so you don't miss out.
In future editions, you’ll find indie creators, artists, consultants, and researchers sharing their thoughts and recommendations.
Until next time.
Daniel
Photo by Fortepan / Fortepan/Album083 Hungary,
Budapest V. Országház, az Országgyűlési Könyvtár olvasóterme.