Growing social media app vows to shake up ‘toxic’ status quo

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. They've cleverly addicted us to our own egos Zoe Kalar, WeAre8 founder Zoe Kalar, the app’s founder, told the PA news agency that the public had been in an “abusive relationship” with social media platforms for the last 15 years with user data and advertising earnings controlled by the tech firms, but claimed WeAre8 was changing this, particularly through its new link-up with Project Liberty. “What Project Liberty have built on their blockchain technology is full data protection for the individual, so when it’s stored on their blockchain infrastructure, irrespective of us, you own yourself,” Ms Kalar told PA. “And that was really important to us as part of our whole philosophy of ‘ultimate freedom’ – you own you outside of us, you can always go anywhere you want. By placing the power back in the hands of users, they can control their own experiences, choose what they engage with, and benefit financially from the content they consume Frank McCourt, Project Liberty “But with our partnership with Frank, we’re giving full control back to you, and we’re giving you creative and economic freedom.” Mr McCourt, who has expressed interest in taking over TikTok in the US if a proposed government ban comes into force next year, said: “WeAre8 is living proof of what a world free from Big Tech’s addictive algorithms can look like. A number of other emerging social media platforms have reported sharp rises in user numbers in recent weeks following Elon Musk’s drastic realigning of X, formerly Twitter, as he used the platform to support US President-elect Donald Trump, but also spread misinformation and engage with a number of online conspiracy theories.