Social media is an important channel for news organizations to distribute and track their news. A big reason for this is a shift in media consumption from traditional media such as television and newspapers to social media. As a result, the visibility and reach of news organizations are partly determined by these big tech platforms. The journalism industry now recognizes this as a major problem and a threat to their businesses and to the flow of information in our society.
How can news media organizations regain control over their visibility and news distribution?
An increasing number of news organizations in the Netherlands believe in an alternative to big tech that is open, inclusive, and independent of big tech. So-called open social media (or open socials) use open protocols, allowing us as a society to collectively take control and set the rules ourselves. With open socials, news organizations and their readers can decide for themselves what content they read and how they interact with one another. Examples include Oso.social, Mastodon, Peertube, Bluesky, Eurosky, Mu.social, and Bonfire.
Together with Follow The Money, de Volkskrant, Nu.nl, and De Correspondent, Waag is exploring new ways to use open social media. Read the article in Dutch.
