New social media platforms are starting to emerge that utilize blockchain and distributed ledger technology in an effort to build platforms where users are in control on of their data and more expressive choices are available.
The development in the industry’s startup ecosystem coincides with a growing disillusionment with the traditional social media platforms. But will security, control and less exploitive content be enough to compel people to start over?
Dor Konforty, CEO of Synereo, one of the next-generation social platforms, thinks so. But, he believes this transition will happen in stages, starting with open-source communities and decentralized technology.
Synereo is actively targeting cryptocurrency enthusiasts, recently presenting its distributed tech stack, programmatic content delivery network and smart contract system at the COALA blockchain workshop in New York City.
Konforty and his team are building the platform as more of a public utility rather than a profit-making machine. And that’s when things get interesting, because now users aren’t made to follow a specific path and flow determined by centralized platform providers.
For instance, because the platform is peer-to-peer, users can create multiple identities for different groups. During the COALA event, Konforty illustrated this feature saying it would be fine for his friends to see pictures of last night’s party, but that he might decide to shield those pictures from co-workers.
Another next-gen social platform that’s targeting the cryptocurrency community is being developed by Steemit.
The goal for Steemit is to create a Reddit-like platform that "rewards positivity and accuracy over garbage content like some of the things you see on Facebook," said Ned Scott, CEO and founder of Steemit. "On the other hand, we want to create the lowest barrier means to getting cryptocurrency."This direction is a sound one."The more people get disillusioned with how Facebook and Twitter manage their data and do not protect them and […]
