One of the harshest realities of social networks is the hostility women face on any given platform. Of incessant trolling to rapes and death threats for speaking out, to spam and dick picks – the list goes on and on. Well, a technology company is looking to change the dynamics of how a traditional social media platform based on Web2 like the functions of Facebook or Instagram.
‘Coto’ or ‘Coming Together’ is the latest offering from Eve World, a women-only social community platform from Web3 that seeks to build a positive and valuable digital experience for women. Coto promises to “reduce the gender gap” in social networks, where men outnumber women and therefore only allows women and transgender people to be users of the platform “For the Internet to be empowering and inclusive, it is imperative to have a safe space where we can express ourselves freely. Women don’t have the opportunity to have intimate conversations, which leads to self-censorship,” says Aparna Acharekar, co-founder of Eve World. Rampant sexism, misogyny, and trolling have become almost synonymous with social media for women. On top of that, we don’t really have a lot of actionable laws that protect women and transgender people. And even social media platforms like LinkedIn, where the whole premise is to instill professional connections, have failed women and transgenders miserably. “The platform will allow members to freely create, curate, consume and own content. The decentralized nature of blockchain will help overcome privacy issues,” says Tarun Katial, CEO of Eve World. “Think of this like WhatsApp on Instagram or WhatsApp on Reddit or Reddit on Instagram, but only for women,” he added. The platform will be based on Web3, or the third generation internet, which, using blockchain technology and decentralized ownership principles, meaning platform members will be able to freely create, curate, consume, and own content, while overcoming issues . with privacy. Also, the members of the platform will not be bogged down with data breaches, algorithm-based manipulation and identity theft, which is actually a major problem faced by women. Even though the Internet has forever changed how we interact with the world and with each other, how information is spread and ideas are exchanged, women, especially in India, have sadly not had a level playing field where can take advantage of that. One of the main things Acharekar felt was missing from “legacy social media platforms” is intimate conversations. “Women tend to feel restricted as there is always a concern about abuse and harassment. Hence, no one feels free to talk about topics such as menopause, motherhood and sexual problems. We want to open them up and for women to make their own groups and talk about these issues,” she said. Although women will be able to publish anonymously in ‘coto’, security measures have been implemented and are activated during the registration process. To set up a ‘preserve’ account, a user will need to go through a basic KYC process, which will involve facial recognition. This is done so that the platform knows if a user is a woman or a trans person. If a person does not want to be discovered at all, she can choose to hide her identity while interacting with other members of the community, once she signs up. The platform also intends to monetize and help members showcase their business products through online marketplaces for women entrepreneurs on the platform. Via: FirstPost
