A new app arrives for iOS and Android testing which is proposed as “ethical alternative” a social network like Instagram and Facebook: Supernova. An app that rewards likes by giving money to charity and promises to monitor posts so as not to give space to hate and fake news. But does it have a chance to be successful?
Supernova, the first social network that focuses on ethics
Technological tools are not usually born with a negative intent. I am instruments. Social networks in particular were born with the aim of exploiting the internet to maximize our contacts with other people and, when used well, they know how to do it very well. But among studies on the effects of social media on minors, lawsuits and hearings in the United States Senate, popular opinion in this period is certainly not the best.
Over the years, several social media have been born that focus on very clear ethical principles (such as Path some time ago) and these days a brand new one arrives on iOS and Android: Supernova. Which tries a new approach that aims to attract many investors and above all advertising, which allow the most famous social networks such as Instagram or TikTok to become economic powers. But in a different way, focusing on charity.
The app was not found in the store. 🙁
Advertising and charity
The founder of Supernova Dominic O’Meara believes that the strength of the new app can lie in a different kind of advertising, exploiting the great attention that Millennials and Gen Z have towards beneficial causes. Companies can advertise their products by paying for the online space. But the money raised goes to charitable causes: the likes of the posts are converted into money which goes towards the association chosen by the user.
O’Meara explains that: “Our technology and accessibility make it possible to help each other using social media and advertising. And see in a transparent way how and where our help goes to help “charities.
The business model is clear and transparent. 60% of advertising revenue goes to humanitarian associations. The distribution goes according to the preferences of the users, in different areas. From the prevention of global warming at the health / environmental emergencies, from the salute at the animal protection, dai human rights at the mental health, passing through the help to the extreme poverty and cleaning of oceans.
O’Meara explains that even if Supernova were to capture just 1% of the social media market, it could donate up to £ 600 million a year. If it got to the stratospheric levels of the Instagram and Facebook market, it would go up to 51 billion pounds every twelve months.
An approach that according to the Supernova team can work. As O’Meara explains to TechCrunch, “according to Deloitte 80% of Millennials want to shop only from brands that put the interests of the community above their own. The great publicists are tired of the status quo of social media: yesterday I met a company with a marketing budget of over 10 billion dollars who told me just that “. Investors like ASICS e MQ Mental Health they have already decided to invest in the new social network.
Supernova: functions seen in other social networks, but with charity at the center
The app itself is similar to Instagram in many ways. You can post video e photo that you have taken. You can comment under the posts of others. And texting with those you know, adding followers in an already seen way. You can also create Interest groups as it happens on Facebook. Users can also browse privately, to explore without leaving a trace but also to block unwanted users, features not unheard of in the world of social media.
But the underlying structure changes. First, users don’t just have to set their own profile picture and description. They also choose a beneficial field that they want to support among those presented by Supernova. In this way, all The likes collected from your posts will increase the percentage of money destined for that cause. Posts can also receive Superlike, which count as ten likes.
Features like Superlike are unlocked through Karma Points, which serve to encourage the use of the platform (for example by supporting a cause, filling out your profile, etc.).
Focus on moderation
In addition to donating the 60% of its income goes to charity, by encouraging users to support their cause, Supernova wants to stand out from other social networks for moderation. Indeed O’Meara explained that it will be carried out by “a specialized team based in the UK who covers 24/7 shifts. They are young, intelligent, mostly PhD students or computer science students. And our intention is to develop the group as we grow, so that our team has affinity and empathy with users right away. “
Although, as the business grows, they will also exploit artificial intelligence, O’Meara thinks the increased attention will pay off. “Supernova will be free from the toxic and radicalized content that is actively promoted by the algorithms of other platforms. So Supernova it will certainly not be for everyonei, and it is a deliberate choice “.
Supernova looks like a social netowork starting with the best of intentions. But to work, social networks must have a large audience that welcomes them, there is no alternative. So it remains to be evaluated if it can find space in the midst of giants like TikTok, Twitter, Snapchat and Meta’s social networks. But the fact that news of this kind are trying to make their way into the world of social media can only be good news.