We need a social media upgrade. Now.

Steemit. The Sapien network. Blockchain is revolutionising our social media platforms — improving them, establishing further levels of security, and advancing them beyond current capabilities.

Do social media platforms reward us sufficiently for our efforts? I think you’ll find that the answer is no — after what we, as users, have to endure. Algorithms changing on a whim, with the odds stacked against you if you have less than 10,000 followers — trying desperately to get your voice heard, your content noticed, amongst the burgeoning swarm of your 600 million fellow users, all with the same intention.

Let’s start — first, with YouTube. The phenomenon of 2005, now an international giant, hosting 1.8 billion voices — content creators and viewers alike. Of all the original ideas of the 2000s, in response to the dot com blast — YouTube seems, in hindsight, to be the one fuelled by the most benevolent ideals. However, since then, it’s fallen down rapidly, becoming more of a “sabotage” platform than one which actively welcomes and supports content creators.

Users are tired of being treated like commodities: products of the digital platform they are creating for, their followings, likes and view counts mediated by an unknown entity — that dreaded algorithm. You painstakingly produce content, gaining followers, recognition and if you’re lucky, ad endorsements and brand partnerships — but who actually owns your content? The platform itself. As the host engine, Instagram makes more money from you than you may make from Instagram — contrary to popular belief.

Yes, there are many good reasons to like and use Instagram — it’s definitely better than Facebook and Snapchat, both of which limit creators to smaller social circles, unless they’re already well-known. The platform is far more user-friendly, with an appropriate mixture of static and interactive, short-form content. Lacking Facebook’s staid, unappetising blueness, peppered with Mum jokes, irrelevant statuses from people you haven’t spoken to for ten years (and have no desire to meet again) and a barrage of trash news. An Instagram feed pops with life and colour, a constant source of innovation and entertainment. The stories are awesome — with enough emojis, gifs and stickers to satisfy all enthusiasts. However, it’s far from perfect — innumerable deficiencies are apparent, gaps waiting to be filled.

Another example of this is, of course, YouTube. Creators may feel as if they are in power, with their well-established following and blue tick of verification, but YouTube possesses the whip hand. YouTube can choose to demonetise original creator-owned content, freezing their ad revenues, cash flow, and consequently eradicating their dignity. Creating content has never been more akin to building a house of cards — the slightest breath of change can topple you, yanking the platform of false cardboard out from beneath your feet.

Trust in social media platforms is eroding — understandably so. We only have to glance over the atrocities of the past year to re-affirm this: from the Cambridge Analytica cataclysm to the disturbing content trickling directly beneath YouTube’s nose. The jaws of giants are clenching down. Social media platforms such as Facebook and YouTube began as a form of self-expression — and a way to access all content. Now they have become the opposite — mini digital dictatorships, determined to fulfil their own aims, regardless of the repercussions.

The user has spoken: we need an upgrade.

Up and coming (and fully fledged) blockchain-powered social platforms:

Sapien: Awesome name, with a matching premise. First of all, it boasts an amazing, streamlined interface — already a good sign. Second of all, The Sapien Network aims to combine “the innate human desire for social networks with the immense power of the blockchain — satisfying our urges whilst reaffirming our need for transparency, security and verified information from trusted sources. As well as establishing a vibrant, community based platform to rival the likes of Facebook and Reddit, Sapien promises to pay content creators for their work through a well refined reward system, without the need for centralised intermediators, powered by ERC20.

PUBLIQ: Not exactly a social network — nevertheless, it’s a platform with a twist. They aim to “reshape the media landscape” (chills) through establishing independence and impartiality, through the use of new technologies (our three favourites — blockchain, distributed ledger tech and smart contracts), establishing a fair and transparent remuneration system, as well as enhancing the publishing and reading experience (a definite bonus). In order to enhance satisfaction within the online publication industry, the launch of a revised architecture is a necessity.

PUBLIQ encompasses three different layers: a content sharing layer, allowing users to securely post news articles and stories, a transactional layer including a transfer and reward distribution mechanism, and a reputational layer that evaluates the reputation of authors based on the opinions of readers — those who have the greatest right to evaluate content.

Why it’s good: Their infrastructure alone is built upon an impressive premise. As well as utilising Proof of Stake consensus algorithm (in a nutshell: block creators are chosen deterministically) is also uses a distributed storage infrastructure is order to safely and securely store content. Storage will consist of participants who will lend their free storage space to the PUBLIQ ecosystem in exchange for PBQ tokens. Becoming a distributed storage provider is an alternative way of sustaining the ecosystem and being rewarded at the same time, without the mandate of being a block producer.

Steemit: hardly new, but growing rapidly in potential. Steemit functions in a similar way to Reddit (with, perhaps, a better user experience). Here’s the core difference: users can obtain financial rewards — in, of course, Steem — for their posts. A more pliable arrangement in comparison to Reddit gold, which is only awarded to a select few. All the rage right now, possibly due to the fact that it was founded by Dan Larimer, the overlord behind the acclaimed BitShares and the controversial EOS. Steemit has been described by its users as “a family where thoughts are ‘exchanged’, stories are told, and passion is shared”. (Whether this innate altruism has been evoked within the EOS model is quite another matter.) Steemit looks pretty good, even when you remove the shining wrappings of implicit marketing.

The Steemit network is built upon the Steem Blockchain. It is a platform which allows creators to be rewarded for their content, through cryptocurrency — or in more specific terms, Steem tokens. Engagement — such as liking, sharing, commenting, upvoting — can be rewarded through micro-rewards, which can also be transferred into the Steem currency. It’s a perfectly organised, two way street — to be rewarded for interesting, fulfilling content as well as useful, constructive responses.

Sola: An innovative newcomer — governed by AI. Immediately hits the spot, ticking all the boxes, “spreads information like a viral disease to the most interested users, applying AI algorithms combined with users reactions. Quality content can easily reach the whole Sola user base. Users post news, stories and entertainment cards, Sola takes care of the rest.”

Key kernel of innovation: Quality content can reach the whole user base, through a well trained AI algorithm — this isn’t what’s happening currently on Instagram. (We’ll leave Facebook for now, and allow them to lick their wounds in peace.) On Instagram, you aren’t always shown what you want to see — only what its algorithm thinks you want to see, and sometimes it can be woefully incorrect (check out the Instagram “Explore” page, and determine whether more than half of its haphazard content actually meets your preferences?)

The benefits of SOL: SOL is a utility token — tokens created in relation to the service they provide. SOL allows the SOLA network to share revenue from advertising, user payments and partnerships with users. As a cryptocurrency, it can be used to purchase additional services on the SOLA platform.

Askfm 2.0: A relic of the 2000s, upgraded! (Next up: Yahoo Answers, in a better-looking reincarnation — we hope.) As a 2000s kid, I was naturally excited to be inducted into their esteemed presence at the most recent Blockchain Summit in London (June 2018 — back next year, same dates — see you there!). Askfm 2.0’s stall had a bunch of colourful merchandise, a pleasure to the eye — and proved to be a pleasure to the ear (and mind) as well, with their coherent, concisely explained business model. They aspire to be the first decentralised, incentivized Q&A social network, in which users will be rewarded with cryptocurrency for high-quality, well-produced content. However, Askfm2.0 aims to add a supplementary layer to the conventional Q&A model.

Askfm 2.0 aims to give us more — making us appreciate the eight years of innovation and mental human development since 2010. Askfm 2.0 is also a place wherein users can “learn from interesting people, grow and develop as individuals, improve social skills, and increase self-confidence through secure and moderated peer-to-peer interaction”.

ASKT, the platform’s internal currency powers these interactions. Here’s the best part — it’s designed to facilitate fulfilling, all-encompassing transactions, rewarding everyone involved, not just a select few. To me, this is the true definition of modernity, and its twin, progression — to facilitate communicative, widespread discussion in a non-obtrusive, efficient manner. They also provide an educational aspect (if only Facebook did the same) — incentive based challenges surrounding tutoring, online courses and other scintillating activities.

Packing it in with LinkedIn? No problem! Indorse is here. Indorse is a decentralized platform based on the Ethereum blockchain, rewarding users for endorsing the skill sets of their fellows on the platform. We’re all aware of the foibles of social media — anyone can claim to be anything, and claim to hold various different qualifications and level of experience, whilst lacking any tangible evidence of these. It’s the user’ responsibility to “indorse” or “flag” the credentials of other users, depending on the validity of their claims.

What do the users receive for their toil? IND tokens, of course — which can be traded on the platform to purchase advertising services and validated company pages.

There will definitely be a part 2 to this soon — there’s just too many to include, and more being released faster than ever. The blockchain space now is a teeming forest with trees bursting out of the soil every minute — some healthy, strong and exuding probity — others weak, stunted, built upon fraud. It’s up to us to detach the mould from the tree bark, and establish a flourishing ecosystem for all.

Being introduced to the Internet at a young age was being inducted into a virtual world of plenty; where ripe fruits hang high, but you can formulate the hacks to obtain them. I’m not insinuating that a habit of illegal streaming and ignored copyright has condemned us all to a life of lawlessness. The desire to solve was continuously installed in us: to hack, to gain access through mental acumen and the incessant tapping of keyboards. No censorship: knowledge for all. This is our birthright, as citizens of the digital world. We deserve platforms which facilitate a healthy, honest exchange of value, and blockchain has become the tool we need to enact this change.