How Junto is better than chicken soup.

& why signing up could help mend our broken souls

by Drea Bennett and Yaz Owainati

Today’s social media? Resounding no. Tomorrow’s?

A very different story.

Junto is a team of six with a median age of 22. The projection of personal identity into online communities is something we (and you) are all-too familiar with.

In determining Junto’s direction, we’ve questioned the functionalities of various platforms and the extent to which they truly enrich our lives.

It seems that today’s digital world is at a tipping point.

Junto is a new social platform whose motivation is to inspire an atmosphere encouraging authenticity, collaborative creativity and free expression beyond current social standards. With an interface designed from an entirely different ideology of network and social structure, we strive to cultivate an environment of depth and respect for our differences. No advertisements. Decentralized. Not for profit.

Side effects may include mild to intense ease of social pressure, more mental space for the real you, and increased desire to learn about and engage with the world.

If you’re interested in how the app’s interface works, we’re glad you’re curious! However, due to timeline formalities, we cannot release details yet. Expect updates in the coming weeks. (Junto releases in Summer 2019.)

Onward with the point of this article. Here’s why you should join the waitlist:

Online expression, without the numbers

What do all existing platforms have in common? A rating system. Some variation of the like button.

Every post we share faces the potential to receive a measurable quantity of reactions and, thus, validation.

Given that existing platforms depend on delivering a recurring endorphin rush, it’s easy to keep coming back for more. Relatable, yes?

As a result, an unwritten set of social rules has emerged, driving many to exist in preemptive and habitual self-censorship so as to safely satisfy the post likability status quo.

aaah please like my picture, it’s already been up for 3 minutes !!

Attention span, body image, friendship etiquette, online presence, etc.

If we set out to compile a list of every human behavior that’s been warped by what social media can feel like (at times, a hierarchical profile battlefield), we’d be able to go on and on and on and —

But was the adoption of this culture even in our control? What if there were no numbers attached to us? Imagine the state your mind could express from if forethought was never influenced by like-count.

Well, we’re about sick of idly posting up in Insecurity’s shady realm. Even a brief consideration of human nature’s confounding complexity provides enough evidence that, given the opportunity, an online social community where emphasis is placed on more than follower ratios can not only exist, but thrive.

Like buttons (and other numerical reaction counts) are, shall we say, not particularly fun, helpful or necessary.

So we’re replacing them with something totally different — a more engaging means to dynamically express non-verbally. Curious to know what? Sign up and find out soon, hopefully before we just burst at the seams from pure excitement.

From automatic scrolling to self made exploration

Upon opening a social media app, we are immediately presented with a newsfeed:

Enter: Consume-content-mode. (Passively scroll to get a quick overview of things.)

Enter: Zombie Void.

Exit: A surprising amount of time.

Existing platforms financially rely on advertisers, who pay to reach you. As a result, your feeds are constructed with artificial intelligence (AI) to maximize ad reach. As you scroll, algorithms collect information about content you slow down for.

So… the next time you open the app (or one under the same parent company), similar loops of reinforced content appear at higher frequencies.

More of your time = more of their profit.

In the real world, perspectives are subjective matters that constantly evolve through personal experiences.

In this spirit, Junto is designed to enable dynamic and flexible feeds made by you. Since we’re not here for profit, we have no mission to keep you scrolling, no grounds to run ads, and no incentive to promote specific content.

Each time you open Junto, you are presented with a blank slate, encouraging global exploration that takes whatever form you choose in the moment. Our intention is that upon closing the app, your time spent will have been worthwhile and of substance unique to you.

Thank you, decentralization!

The majority of the internet is currently run using centralized network structures, which route and store data in one place. This means all personal information becomes property of the institution providing computing power.

Instead, Junto is built over a decentralized framework called Holochain. With this setup, no ownership or control of data flow can be limited to a single entity.

Simply put, we have no ownership of your data; thus, no means to track the informational trail you create while drifting and stumbling through various states of curiosity. We think it’s nice to know nobody’s peering over your shoulder. Digital empathy.

Check out this article to read more about our underlying technology and why it’s important.

The potential of a nonprofit social network

Junto is funded completely by the people — independent of investors and third parties. Coming straight from the team creating this platform, money isn’t the point.

This movement fully embodies our intentions, which are purely fueled by a vision we’re dedicated to. Wikipedia did it!

Donations and revenue will be recirculated into both making Junto better and expanding its influence. And in the future, we plan to team up with others who are on a similar wavelength. (maybe you?)

Final Thoughts

Acting as the primary means by which the globe can connect, social media influences us every day. Collectively, it has become an extremely powerful force. And we’d really just like to see it used as the powerful tool we know it can be.

Here’s the cliffhanger: When sharing on Junto, you won’t have to be of high influence or following to be heard on a global scale. How? You’ll see.

When it comes to expressing, we’re going this way

• On-the-fly ideas
• Creative pursuits
• Fragmented thoughts
• Raw & unlimited expression
• Acting on inspiration
• Observations & explorations
• Independent learning
• A range of perspectives
• Collaboration

See you in 2019!

Our beta app will release in 2019. After its release, open sign-up will temporarily close. This means you’ll need an access code from a friend to join. Junto is designed to grow from invites of the first platform users, so the original global community will be comprised of people who resonate with this new tool for sharing ideas.

Reserve your spot here: www.junto.foundation