Waag Futurelab is launching a new social media platform: oso.social. This alternative to big tech’s social media platforms puts an end to algorithms pushing disinformation and the trading of personal data. On oso.social, the public interest comes first, users retain control over their own data, and they decide what appears in their feeds. On 23 October, oso.social opens its doors, inviting people to help shape the future of social media.
Open socials
For several years, Waag has been working with news organisations and cultural institutions to develop alternatives to big tech’s social media platforms. Waag is also part of the European movement towards ‘open socials’: social media built on open protocols. Their open nature gives every user control and ownership over their own data and feeds. These international and national collaborations are paving the way for a large-scale transition.
‘We cannot wait for big tech to accept our conditions. Too much is at stake,’ says Marleen Stikker, director of Waag Futurelab. ‘Complaining gets us nowhere. Building our own alternatives is the answer, and things are moving fast now. News organisations, cultural institutions and other civil society organisations are leading the way towards better social media.’
Users help design the platform
The first version of oso.social will launch on Friday 23 October, with a celebratory event during Dutch Design Week: the Open Socials Social Club. This will be followed by a public testing phase, leading up to the beta version, which is expected in January 2027. Anyone who wishes to take part can create an account and start testing the platform from around 8 pm on 23 October.
‘It is a conscious choice to ask individual users and organisations to help build oso.social together,’ says Sander van der Waal, strategy director at Waag. ‘At Waag, we develop technology with and for society. It is not up to us alone to decide how social media can best serve the public. The best results come when people and organisations bring their own perspectives and help shape the design. During this public testing phase, we want to give as many people and organisations as possible the opportunity to help shape the future of social media.’
Unbanned, onto the stage
The line-up for the celebratory launch on Friday 23 October features artists who were censored by Meta earlier this year. Groups such as Striptopia lost their platform, followers and content overnight, without any explanation from Meta. On open social platforms such as oso.social, this is unthinkable: no single player has the power to ban accounts from the platform entirely. That is precisely why these artists and organisations will be taking to the stage at the Open Socials Social Club. The line-up includes Striptopia, Zobayda, Pelanoir and Gioray. During the party, visitors can create an oso.social account, become some of the first users on the platform and help develop it.
Would you like to contribute to the development of oso.social? Go to doneer.waag.org/oso.
