Forget Facebook - Introducing WT.Social
Do you remember the days when your Instagram news feed displayed in chronological order? When Facebook didn’t display ads? Within the last 10 years, social media has developed rapidly and now we accept an online world where algorithms determine what we’re interested in, our preferences are tracked through the internet, and our data is constantly collected.
In this environment, one person has stepped forward with an alternate vision: to launch a platform that tackles fake news head on. We’re talking posts that display in chronological order, a site that doesn’t feature paid advertising and doesn’t sell data. Sound ambitious? Introducing WT.Social by the co-founder of Wikipedia Jimmy Wales.
“This is a radical, crazy experiment of mine; I’m happy to say I don’t know all the answers.”
Jimmy has said he was inspired to create a new platform after witnessing low quality advertising content produced for Facebook and Twitter, particularly that which amplifies voices of “bad actors”.
WT.Social is the next phase of WikiTribune, originally a site launched in 2017 by Jimmy as a crowdfunded news-sharing service. The reboot of WikiTribune as a social platform features a Facebook-like newsfeed, where users can upload content or share content from subwikis (sections of the platform). Users will also be able to “directly edit misleading headlines or flag problem posts”.
“Instead of optimising our algorithm to addict you and keep you clicking, we will only make money if you voluntarily choose to support us, which means that our goal is not clicks but actually being meaningful to your life.”
The launch of WT.Social comes at a time where Facebook is facing scrutiny for quietly changing its policies from prohibiting ads with “misleading or false content “ to “prohibit[ing] ads that include claims debunked by third-party fact checkers or, in certain circumstances, claims debunked by organisations with particular expertise.”
Original policy
Revised policy
On the surface this may not seem like a major change, however when you dig deeper, Facebook has explicitly said that “political figures” are exempt from this new policy. In layman’s terms, they can advertise what they want even if it is factually false.
On the page “Fact-Checking on Facebook: What publishers should know”, the following category “Not Eligible” outlines which content doesn’t need third-party checking:
Not eligible: The content contains a claim that is not verifiable, was true at the time of writing, or from a website or Page with the primary purpose of expressing the opinion or agenda of a political figure.
In direct dispute of these updates, Facebook employees have come out against the policy change in an open letter published in the New York Times.
“Free speech and paid speech are not the same thing. Misinformation affects us all.”
So what does all this mean for WT.Social? We currently live in a time where it can be hard to read between the lines of advertisements and organic posts, between the truth and misinformation. I feel it’s an ample time to generate public interest and launch a platform which tackles fake news, given that Facebook is currently facing scrutiny for its treatment of political advertising. It takes me back to the beginnings of social media, where the focus is on the social aspect and creating a strong, transparent community. However, will it truly take off and will its unique functions, such as editing, work on a larger scale? Only time will tell.
Will you be signing up? Use the referral link below to be on the 260,000+ long waiting list!
https://wt.social/gi/sophie-evans/friends/3ctf