Social media platforms: what's wrong, and what's next

Table of contents: Introduction: WANTED: Somebody to go back in time with me (when suggesting to build a social media platform was ok). This is not a joke. Email [email protected]. You’ll get paid when we get acquired. Must bring your own web framework. Safety not guaranteed. I have only done this once before. I think we need a new social media platform to emerge from the web. Now, if the above sentence just sent shivers down your spine as a relic of a bygone era of entrepreneurship (So Mo Lo was parodied over 11 years ago on Silicon Valley), let me tell you why I think it’s still a good idea today. I think social media platforms as they exist currently aren’t serving people correctly, because they are incentivized in the wrong ways: When the platform optimizes for DAUs, it doesn’t care when people create alt / fake accounts, because it boosts the platform’s user numbers When the platform optimizes for engagement, it doesn’t care if content that is posted is clickbait / ragebait ... Read full article.