Let’s face it; social media is huge right now — it’s one the world’s fastest growing sectors that gets bigger and bigger by the day. There’s no doubt that most if not all of us have a profile or two which we use to connect and interact with friends, colleagues, and acquaintances. In fact, research has pointed out that teenagers spend up to nine hours per day interacting with friends and family. And of course, most of them link up on the go, either on their smartphone or tablet devices.
But there’s a problem; some of the most popular social media platforms have full access to user information and they’re willing to give it out to make stockholders happy. In essence, big corporations won’t waste a moment to pay huge sums of money to exploit user’s personal data and information — they usually do this to create highly targeted ads and campaigns. This is precisely why your newsfeeds are loaded with ads that are actually relevant to your needs and desires.
Social media, blockchain
So what’s the point? Well, it’s pretty simple — most of today’s social media platforms are centralized. Users information can be easily exploited and that’s more like having zero privacy and data security.
At this point, the surest way to take full control is to make a switch to blockchain-based social media platforms — they’re the ultimate solution to your privacy and data security problem. These decentralized versions of social media channels have strong end-to-end encryption, so of course, users can rest easy knowing that no digital breadcrumbs will be left behind for the third party to pick up. What’s more, these blockchain-based social media platforms boast digital currencies that can be used to process in-platform transactions. The bottom line; they’re the perfect alternative to traditional platforms you’ve been using all these years.
Ready to make the big switch? Here are 5 of the best blockchain-based social media networks for 2018 and beyond.
Steemit
Ever heard of Steemit? It’s one of the leading blockchain-based social media platforms that gives users the chance to enjoy the functionality of both Facebook and Reddit. Running on top of the Steem blockchain, Steemit allows publishers to get paid for their content including posts, pictures, videos, and music. The good thing about this platform is that it creates Steemit currency units and automatically distributes them to users (primarily writers and content curators) who are active and engaging on the platform. So how much can users earn? Well, Steemit works with upvote and downvote. That said, the amount you get is determined by the number of upvotes your content gets. What’s more, user engagement can increase earning potential — the more you engage the more you earn!
If you’re in doubt about the payment system, you’ll be glad to know that the platform has paid out up to $22 million to its users. It’s also good to point out that Steem can handle more transactions per second than the two crypto giants Bitcoin and Ethereum combined. All in all, a great platform that’s totally worth your attention, especially if you’re a writer or content curator.
EARN
Next up is a blockchain-based social media platform that’s way better than LinkedIn. Essentially, Earn allows you to complete microtasks in exchange for money. On this platform, you can create a profile where you can receive paid messages or even join lists of people with skills that are same as yours. For the most part, Earn is built to increase your chances of making money via a paid email system. When you register as a user, you can set up an auto-reply on your email; more like one, that’s engaging enough to encourage users to pay for a response. The big idea is that users can earn Bitcoin when an unknown user wants to communicate with them over email — it’s pretty straightforward and of course, better than LinkedIn since it allows you make money at your own pace.
Social X
SocialX is s decentralized platform that’s pretty similar to Facebook and Instagram. For the most part, the platform has all social network features and of course, you can take advantage of every one of them! SocialX allows users to place their photos, videos, and groups on a single yet highly secure platform. With this platform, users won’t have to worry about posting their photos and videos on popular centralized platforms like Facebook or Instagram. It’s also good to know that SocialX boasts a built-in license management that gives you the choice to keep your photos to yourself or sell them to other users. If you choose the latter, you’ll be glad to know that you can exchange photo rights for SOCX tokens.
That’s not all — SocialX also comes with a built-in messaging service that allows you chat with your friends and exchange currencies. Users can also earn money when they share content with the community. As with Steemit, SocialX uses an upvoting system to reward the value of photos and videos uploaded by its users. Overall, a complete blockchain-based social media platform that has everything you need to be social and the best part is, you’ll get to make money while you’re at it.
Obsidian
Moving forward, Obsidian comes with the goal of providing an extensive collection of blockchain-based apps and service, but the key player here is the Obsidian Secure Messenger. As a highly secure blockchain-based messenger, Obsidian promises to give users the chance to enjoy 100% private and secure messaging. Essentially, this platform offers powerful end-to-end encryption to ensure that files and messages can only be seen and accessed by the intended recipient.
What’s more, Obsidian comes with timed auto deletion; a feature that deletes past interactions and ensures that they’re inaccessible to the third party. You can be sure of perfect data security regardless of whether you’re looking to share messages, sensitive files, photos or videos. And finally, Obsidian messenger uses the ODN digital currency for in-platform transactions. All in all, an excellent choice for those looking to take better control of their private data or information.
Indorse
Last but not the least is Indorse — a professional blockchain-based platform built on the Ethereum blockchain. This skill-based LinkedIn equivalent aims to give users full ownership of data and of course, increase their chances of profiting from their skills. For the most part, Indorse allows you to build your profiles, create content and get paid for contributions — you won’t be wrong to see it as a direct opposite of LinkedIn. On Indorse, users own rights to their content and receive compensation for contribution. The platform also encourages users to show off their skills so they can get impressive rewards. For example, if you show your coding skills, you’ll get validated by experts. And of course, showing your business skills increase your chances of getting your dream job. The list goes on!
It’s also good to point out that Indorse rewards users with IND tokens which can be traded or used to buy services including company pages with validated connections. In other words, the platform allows for highly secure smart contracts and that, of course, is one of the many joys of the blockchain.
Wrapping it Up
So far so good, we’ve explored five of the best blockchain-based social media networks that are totally worth the hype. The key takeaway here is that blockchain offers an excellent solution to the industry’s biggest problems chiefly lack of privacy and data security. That said, the whole idea of mixing social networks with blockchain technology is huge, and of course, you won’t be wrong to become a part of the decentralized movement. A truly rewarding experience awaits!