The increasing crackdown on controversial views by major social media networks like Facebook and Twitter has influenced a demand for alternative platforms that value free speech. Many such platforms exist, each with their own uniqueness. Unfortunately, all have a very small user base, with the exception of Minds.com, which boasts over 2 million monthly users (compare this to Gab’s 180,500).

Whereas Gab could be viewed as an alternative to Twitter, Minds acts as a competitor to Facebook. The new social media network states that it is “built on a foundation of freedom, privacy and democratization.”

The site has a very devoted community as well. A recent crowdfunding campaign for Minds brought in over $1.3 million in investments. It’s also received high praise from journalists like Tim Pool and YouTubers like Dave Cullen (Computing Forever), who said, “2 million views on my Minds account already in just 6 months. Unreal. Mainstream social media will fall just like mainstream media.”

There’s no doubt that part of the success of Minds.com is its numerous features. It allows video uploads like Facebook and YouTube, it has a blogging feature similar to Liberty.me, it does not limit post length unlike Gab or Twitter, and it includes a monetary system like Steemit, which rewards users for checking their feed and posting content, along with receiving likes, comments, and “reminds” (similar to retweets). The points can then be cashed out or invested back in to boost content for more views. A user’s account can also be monetized to display ads and receive tips from subscribers.

The platform’s community largely consists of liberty-minded individuals seeking a free speech haven away from the censorship of more mainstream social media. The largest voices on the site consist of conservatives, libertarians, and classical liberals. Along with these are many smaller voices rising quickly among an audience of like-minded people.

This blog post is also on Medium.