Despite what people may say the internet we knew 20 years is still there, anybody can throw up a website and make a presence for their club, charity, shop or even themselves. Most people don't however, and still continue to use many of the same big tech services because "it's free" or "it's what everyone else uses". The unspoken truth here is that these same companies can remove you from their services automatically, without appeal or reprocussion and all of the data you had stored with them goes with it.
The internet is a very powerful tool that everybody can benefit from. Yet somehow we have arrived in a place that even though its easier than ever to access, large technology firms have inserted themselves in to every interaction. They're now being cooerced to use that power in concerning ways.
Long story short; This consolidation is harmful and users need to consider alternatives.
5hm (shared memories) is a nerds pet project to provide advice and alternatives to use the internet the way it was meant to be used, without a reliance on big tech companies.
Internet Relay Chat is the internet's original chat protocol.
When text isn't enough mumble provides voice communication between groups of users.