As you may know, since the end of 2022 I’ve been trying to move away from centralized internet platforms, especially those owned by billionaires, and since the beginning of 2025 I’ve also been doing my best to move away from American internet companies as much as possible, because that country is no longer reliable, and it’s just not safe to have any part of our internet life there.
Right now I’m working on getting away from Meta in particular.
I almost don’t use Facebook anymore, a few minutes a day at best. I’ve never used WhatsApp. I admit that living in Japan, it’s very difficult to leave Instagram. There is a great alternative in the form of Pixelfed, which I use – the link to my account is probably in the sidebar. But still, if you live in Japan, you kind of have to use Instagram, even if you don’t post anything, just to see what’s going on with local businesses and organizations. So I’m stuck on Instagram for now.
What about Messenger?
Interestingly, at first I thought Facebook would be the hardest to stop using, but somehow it turned out not to be that hard. Messenger, on the other hand…
I won’t be able to live without it just yet. But I’ve found a replacement, and from now on I’ll use both until I don’t need Messenger anymore.
The replacement is called Matrix, but also Element, and more.
Let me explain.
In short, Matrix is a decentralized protocol (like email) for instant messaging (it can also do group chat, video and audio conversations). Element is one of the applications that access and use it.
What does it mean?
Well, if you have an email address (you have an email address, right?), the data related to your address is stored on a server (the part after the @) and not everyone has the same one.
Also, you can access your email in many different ways (Outlook, Thunderbird, different kinds of webmail, whatever Apple users use, and many more), regardless of what your email address is.
It’s the same with Matrix. The “client”, which is the tool to actually send and receive messages, is separate from where your messages are stored (if this sounds complicated, think about how email works, it’s somewhat similar).
So when you start and create an account for the first time, your account and messages are usually stored on Matrix’s servers (but they don’t have to be, you can move them there in the future if you need to, including your own server), but you can use different applications to access both the account and the messages.
So far I know of four apps: Element, Element X, Schildichat and Schildichat Next. There are more.
The two Element applications are made by Matrix, the other two are independent. They’re all similar, but customizable in different ways. I’m trying out the four to see which one(s) I like better (so far I’d say the basic Element application and Schildilchat Next). You can also download them to your computer (which I recommend, it makes it easier to “install” your account on more devices later).
Getting started is pretty simple. Just download one of the apps and follow the instructions. As I just mentioned, it may be easier to start on a computer if you want to try different apps or use your account on multiple devices, including a phone. The easiest way to sign in to more than one device is to simply scan the QR code on your computer when prompted.
I’m still learning how to use it (I’ve only done basic messaging, nothing fancy).
Finally, why this and not, say, Signal, which is becoming increasingly popular these days?
Well, while Signal is encrypted, it remains centralized and based in the US, that’s why.
Matrix, on the other hand, is a European non-profit. The system is open source (anyone can build apps for it, etc., just like email) and, as I mentioned, decentralized (you don’t have to have your data on Matrix’s server.) Everything is also encrypted.
So if you’re trying to get away from Messenger or similar apps, give it a try and tell me what you think.
Here are the official websites:
I’ll be writing more and more about various apps and platforms that can help us become less trapped in proprietary American companies.
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