Social media has the power to change lives, create possibilities, and empower individuals globally. At Goodself, we were ready to ask more of social media. We recognized a need for a reset in the very design of how information is communicated, accessed, and distributed. So, we decided to break it down; create a space that was focused on its choice of content (Health, Wellness and Lifestyle) and curated by its credentials. The goal of all this? To build a platform where the focus is on tackling misinformation, bringing Expert insights to the forefront of a platform that is (at its core) transparent, and establishing a kind, and supportive community.
When faced with misinformation, others have stated that what's being posted online cannot be managed as social media is merely a software. With our platform, we want to be more: a community, a resource, and above all else, a movement. Our policies will always be centred on promoting facts and the values that we represent: credibility, transparency, and kindness. We are aware that misinformation on our platform, as with other platforms, will be present, regardless of the safeguards in place. Nonetheless, the way we highlight our shortcomings and learn from them WILL be the way by which we set ourselves apart. Dealing with misinformation on Goodself is an evolving process, and we recognize that we may not get it right the first time. These are just a few of the measures we have implemented:
Only vetted Health Experts can host live talks (GoodTalks), and Experts and clearly distinguished on the platform from all other Users, with their credentials clearly laid out in their profile for full transparency.
Having a clear-cut and transparent misinformation policy that the community can easily discern what constitutes as misinformation, on a case-by-case basis.
Encouraging the use of reference links on all content posted on the platform, permitting Experts and Users alike to demonstrate where their information is coming from, and what grounds they have.
Misinformation that has been flagged and found to not abide with our policies will be removed, and depending on the severity, platform participants may be removed. We will also bring some examples to Community to ensure we’re all transparent and aligned around how misinformation is managed.
As we work to mitigate misinformation, we aim to actively engage our community to support their input and thereby having them play an active role in these initiatives. We will also maintain open communication via an internal Goodself account, within the platform. The goal of this is to promote open discussions, where our community can express what matters to them, and all discussions are visible.
However, to be clear: our addressing of misinformation will not devolve into a pattern of removing individuals who genuinely share beliefs that are outside of the general medical consensus. Rather our desire is to promote science wherever possible on a whole host of issues while making sure an even balance of fair and thoughtful opinions (that have measurable results) can co-exist. We appreciate that science is always evolving and that a platform for healthy debate is needed now more than ever, rather than simply another echo chamber. Nevertheless, if participants on our platform make statements with the intent to spread information, they blatantly know to be false and/or harmful, or that they disguise as fact when they cannot prove it, we will act; accordingly, pulling the post or removing the User/Expert.
Our algorithm strives to help each individual to discover new, relevant Experts and Users, different voices, and schools of thought and by its very design is unique in nature. The difficulty with algorithms is that it's hard to distinguish what each algorithm recommends to everyone. Users can pick what they want to follow on our platform, but no one should ever be isolated within their feed. Users will be connected to what the rest of the community is talking about as a result of this, and will have access to a more complete, larger picture of the views on Goodself.
At Goodself, we want to be the healthier alternative for social media consumption and as such we want to make resources easily accessible to our community, allowing individuals to learn from and share within their communities and be empowered so that they can focus on their well-being.