Wikipedia Co-Founder Debuts A Crowd-funded Social Media Platform Which Claims To Fully Protect Users’ Right

Contrary to the Ad-funded social media platforms propagated by tech companies such as Google, Facebook, and Twitter, comes the birth of a new Social network – WT:Social. Founded by the Co-founder of Wikipedia – Jimmy Wales, this new social platform is a crowd-funded community that is maintained via the contributions of its Users.

Although the platform is free to join, yet the WT:Social ecosystem runs on a subscription basis. Such that newly registered Users are shortlisted on a ‘waiting list’. And can only be included in the platform when they make contributions through donations or help build up the community by inviting a friend. 

Therefore, in order to become a member of the social network, it requires a monthly fee of $12.99 or $100 per year in the U.S. While the said donation plan goes for €12 per month or €90 per year and £10 per month or £80 per year in Europe and UK respectively. 

Currently, WT:Social enjoys over 160,000 Users according to a tweet by Wales. However, its Proprietor envisages that the platform has the capacity to attain 500 million Users, as is the company’s target. As stated by Wales;

“Obviously the ambition is not 50,000 or 500,000 but 50m and 500m. If we grow from 400 users today (you’re in on the ground floor!) to 400 million, we will have revolutionized the Internet and shown a better and more healthy way to share information and collaborate with each other.”

Given that WT:Social started out as Wikitribune – A site dedicated to publishing only factual news, the platform’s number one goal is to combat fake news and bad actors. Also, WT:Social aims to grants Users full control and provide them with an informative social media engagement rather than a click-bait experience.

But what remains to be known is the kind of content to be distributed on the platform that could maintain its utility in the long term. Considering the fact that the site would have its Subscribers register with a fee, precludes the involvement of Users from developing countries (which is one of the secret ingredients behind the larger communities present on Facebook and Twitter).

Hence, WT:Social would have to do a lot in terms of the content it distributes. So to attract more Users and compete with the likes of Facebook that presently enjoys an audience of over 1.5 billion users worldwide.