The co-founder of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales, has launched WT:Social – a new social platform focused on changing the social media landscape.
Social media is in crisis. Over time, platforms have amplified the voices of bad actors and spread fake news across the globe, affecting societies, the people within them, democratic processes, and a lot more. The algorithms behind them just seem to “care only about engagement’, and keeping people addicted to platforms without substance.”
In a bid to make a change, Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales has launched a new social media network called WT:Social last month, focusing on news and promising to ensure that user privacy is protected. More importantly, it promises a social media space that is “ad-free.”
WT also promises to “never sell your data,” but ad-free comes at a price – at least for some users. WT aims to survive on the generosity of donors who will pay €12 per month, or €90 per year to fund it.
While there are over 100k users already on the platform, there are 100k others in a waiting list to join.
Six hours or so ago I announced we passed 80,000 users on https://t.co/I8xfkDVdU1 – now we just hit 100,000!
Please share. The world doesn't have to be like this!
— Jimmy Wales (@jimmy_wales) November 15, 2019
If you would like to skip the queue, you can become a subscribing member. “The business model of social-media companies, of pure advertising, is problematic,” Wales explains in a recent Financial Times article. “It turns out the huge winner is low-quality content.”
On WT, users will be able to make their own choices as to what content they are served. They can also directly edit misleading headlines and flag posts that are problematic.
WT is structured about interest-based discussion groups – or SubWikis – which users can either join or create.
You might also like
More from Other Platforms
Tech Companies Are Teaming Up To Free Us From Passwords
Apple, Google, and Microsoft are committing to expanded support for the FIDO standard to bring a passwordless future.
TikTok (Finally) Adds A Friends Tab
TikTok has finally added a friends tab, it replaces the Discover tab in the app’s bottom menu.Is TikTok becoming a …
YouTube Expands Offense Warnings To Desktop, Updates Payments System
New updates for creators! A dedicated payments account within AdSense, and warnings on potentially offensive text detected by AI.
How To Use Enhanced Tags On Instagram
Instagram has expanded its tagging options to allow creators to credit those who participated in creating content.
LinkedIn Publishes New Guide For Technology Marketers
LinkedIn Marketing's team has put together a resources toolkit specifically for technology marketers, filled with tips on how to generate …
Reddit Brings Back Creator Stats On Desktop
Three years after introducing and then revoking the feature, Reddit has now rolled out its Creator Stats dashboard to 90% …
WhatsApp May Soon Limit Message Forwarding To One Chat At A Time
A change spotted in WhatsApp beta limits the sharing of regular messages (not just frequently forwarded ones) with multiple chats.