Be on the lookout for Gander, Canada’s very own social media network

Canada has broken up with the United States thanks to the stupid belligerence of The Orange Babyman Menace in the Oval Office. It’s “Bye America, Buy Canada.” No more vacations to the US. Trade deals with the EU and beyond.

Another area where we need to grow up is the online world. I’d love to see a domestic streaming service that could compete with the likes of Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Amazon Music. Oh, that’s been tried, but the fact that this is news to you says everything that needs to be said about those ventures.

One arena where we might have a shot is the realm of social media. Xitter is garbage. Threads, although much more friendly and less MAGA, is still owned by Mark Zuckerberg. Bluesky? Nice, but I’ve found it hard to create engagement. Truth Social? Are you insane?

It’s time for a made-in-Canada social media platform. And here it is: Gander.

Gander, a creation of five Canadians, will be built in Canada by Canadians, and (largely) operated/hosted in Canada. They were tired of all the trolls, disinformation, and American-centric control of the existing players. They were also concerned about who owns the data created by Canadians online.

Set for launch in October, Gander users will be able to post text and video. Like Bluesky, its infrastructure will be built on AT Protocol, which is a decentralized network. That means no billionaires can meddle in the content.

I’m in. Can’t wait.

Read more here.