Our main goal at DNN is to address fake and sensationalized news by holding everyone in the news dissemination process accountable. In order to cultivate accountability, we’re leveraging on blockchain technology and digital currencies to ensure transparency and incentivize active participation in the media landscape. In addition, we’re also counting on a team of professional and academic advisors for their infinite industry knowledge and insightful ideas.
As we continue to work towards our goals, we’re eager to share their wisdom with you. Join us every Thursday for an in-depth Q&A with one of our talented DNN advisors, and get to know some of the visionaries behind the DNN platform.
This week, we’re chatting with Richard Mills, Social Scientist at the University of Cambridge.
Q: How did you first come across the Decentralized News Network? What were your initial thoughts on the project and how have they changed since coming on board the DNN team?
A: In November 2017 I started looking into blockchain projects after realizing that there are now a number of projects that are doing very interesting things with regard to decentralized governance and production. A major strand of my research is observing systems in which people interact with each other, in some novel way, for the purpose of making decisions or producing a resource.
I got in touch with Pietro Speroni about his research and he mentioned that he is now advising DNN. I read the DNN Whitepaper and thought it sounded like a very interesting project. Crowd-sourced production and review of content is one of the areas I’ve been working on for the last few years, and I thought DNN could make an interesting subject for my research, so I reached out to Samit. I set up a call with Samit and Dondrey. I really enjoyed talking to them about the project and was very impressed by their attitude, so I happily agreed to be an advisor.
Q: What is your specific area of influence on the DNN project?
A: I’ll be looking at how the editorial review process works in practice, talking to users and analyzing the procedural data the platform generates. Through WikiRate.org, I have experience working on the design of a platform for a novel form of peer production, and my research on Reddit gave me some insight into how algorithms work in terms of handling user votes operating at different scales. While having a good initial design is important, there is always room to fine-tune it once users start to contribute. I see my role as conducting research to understand how the platform is being used, where it works well and where it could be improved.
Q: Continuing that train of thought, your area of expertise lies in peer production and online community governance, with a specific focus on understanding platform structures and the influence of algorithms. Can you briefly touch on the potential influence of algorithms in regards to DNN? From a purely social standpoint, how do you believe the peer-production component will also influence participation on the DNN platform?
A: I see DNN as fundamentally a peer production endeavour because participation is open to all and contributors are free to self-select their roles (writer, reviewer, etc.). The algorithms dictate how users’ actions influence the system and each other. It is great that Pietro Speroni is advising on the decision-making system for editorial review, I’m really looking forward to seeing that in action.
From a social perspective, it is important that contributors understand the basics of how the platform functions and perceive this function as being logical and fair. Participants should easily understand how to contribute in the role(s) they have self-selected, what the feedback they receive from others means, and how to respond. One of the qualities DNN is striving for is consistency: participants should feel like they are cooperating to produce this resource, rather than competing to push it in different directions.
Q: You’ve worked on a number of projects, including studies of websites/applications, such as Reddit and Stack Exchange, and as a member of the WikiRate.org, and the Whistle teams. Tell us about a project you’re most proud of producing and why.
A: I am most pleased with my role in the WikiRate project. WikiRate is a small non-profit organization with a big ambition to transform corporate sustainability through collaborative research. I have been involved in the WikiRate project since its early stages and contributed to the design of the platform from the foundations up. I have found working on WikiRate very rewarding because we started with an ambitious and novel aim: we had to come up with a plan for what the resource would look like, how it would be created, and why people would contribute. We started with ideas and hypotheses, and over the years we have tested those hypotheses by inviting people to participate in the project and observing the results. After many iterations and refinements, it is thrilling to see the system we designed being used to generate a resource that is already useful and has huge potential going forward.
Q: What do you believe is the best benefit of blockchain technology? How do you believe it’s changing the world? How do you see DNN fitting into this change?
A: I’m interested in blockchain technology because it’s an exciting space where projects are building robust decentralized networks with novel micro-economies. I like DNN because I can see a lot of value in the resource it aims to construct. I’m excited about DNN because at its core is an incentive structure that promises to reward contributors fairly for the role they play in producing this resource. Many peer production projects rely on voluntary contributions and intangible or external incentives to drive these contributions. While this can produce phenomenal resources like Wikipedia, there are many other solid projects which fail to thrive because there aren’t sufficient volunteers to propel them forward. I want to see what we can build with this technology that allows for decentralized control and governance, and DNN is aiming to build something of real value.
Q: Tell us about your ideal meal. Where would it be? What would it be? Who would be your dinner date?
My tastes are simple, and so my ideal meal would also be something simple; I like omelettes. In terms of company and setting, it’s hard to beat eating at home with my family.
About DNN
DNN (Decentralized News Network) is a news curation platform powered by the Ethereum blockchain. It’s our goal to encourage the dissemination of factual, unbiased political news by incentivizing accountability at all levels of the news consumption process. We’re news for the people, by the people.
Our DNN token presale is currently live. Contact presale@dnn.media to participate.
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