The open-source social networking app that rewards you with social reach just for using it
In modern day social media the paradigm is basically that if you want to increase your audience, you have to pay for it. There are no free-rides and unless you are famous or hit a rare viral nerve, you are pretty much not going to be reaching many other human beings.
In the case of Facebook, the most 'social' social network, page reach is now intentionally restricted in order to compel brands to spend in order to have their posts seen. There was an uproar after organic reach started dying in 2012 as many considered the algorithmic change to be a case of bait-and-switch. Some companies spent enormous amounts to build pages and then suddenly couldn't even reach the fans they paid for. Originally on Facebook you could reach most of the fans who liked your page. Seems a bit of an oxymoron for a 'social' network to limit your ability to reach your contacts, right?
That's what the new open-source social networking app "Minds" is saying. Rather than limiting reach, or even being neutral, they have created a game-like system where users earn points for nearly every interaction on the app which can then be used to 'boost' posts to the larger network. The contention is that the new landscape of social media is an environment where you are actually rewarded for the energy you put into the network. The gamification of virality is an evolution which levels the playing field so that literally anyone has a shot being heard in the overwhelming noise of the web.
The point system is only one of a wide spectrum of features that Minds offers. Other functionality includes encrypted chat, sophisticated swipe technology, voting, video-sharing and photo-sharing. It is actually the world's first open-source social networking app, which is an achievement in itself. The strategy is this. Give the people access to an audience as well as the very source code powering the app and you have an unprecedented ecosystem empowering users rather than abusing them.