

Absolutely, with this site being a good example of such an alternative approach. I think it’s a good clarification you highlighted that may have been underserved in my original piece.
The technologies involved in the websites I listed are largely free and open source. Many of them can be operated relatively inexpensively.
So we don’t need to cut and paste these things exactly, but we can use them for inspiration of what to build next. What’s been stopping us is the inertia of the network effect — why would I comment on Lemmy and not Reddit; Reddit has the people and so that’s where the discussion goes.
What I was trying to get at is that this is a remarkably unique opportunity to overcome that network effect. People want to sever themselves from American dependencies — not just in Canada but in Europe and further abroad. So it’s an enormous opportunity to bring change — for a technologist this can be very exciting!
Best wishes to you and yours. Having been through that move — likewise with young kids — it’s not a simple endeavour.
Feel free to reach out here or in DMs if you have any questions about the process.