Originally posted on https://www.shoutoutuk.org/2019/08/05/vero-and-the-future-of-social-media/

When the potential of sites such as Facebook and Twitter was fully realized, the gears shifted, and the site was no longer the product. The database of users became the product. The ability to target marketing to societal niches made a commodity out of people. Newsfeed algorithms and the heavy presence of advertising within the feed can frustrate users, who struggle to find the content that they were hoping to find.

There has been a significant change in the attitudes of users. This is especially true in the wake of the last US election, and the decision for the UK to leave the EU. The ability to gauge truth from viral, fake news has become hazy. And there has been growing political tension on both sides of the spectrum across many groups and pages.

But with many social media sites reaching maturity, it’s tough to live without the apps that we’ve been using religiously for well over a decade. Many people have a love/hate relationship with social media. For some people, the detox is the answer. Others may live in hope for the tide to change.

Vero is a social media site with a difference. The users are not there to be sold to. The site is all about the user experience. It’s about building and maintaining connections, and it’s about sharing passions and interests. It’s a social media utopia.

Without any advertising, the site looks and feels clean. Many may be cynical and ask what will happen when the site reaches the point where the investors demand monetization. And who could blame them? After all, there have been several significant instances of great sites drawing in vast volumes of users before monetization. And then the business model changes, and suddenly nothing seems free anymore.

Vero CEO, Ayman Harari points out that there is no such thing as free social media anymore. However, Vero aims to keep the user experience precisely the same by introducing a small subscription to carry on using the site.

When you are there to be marketed to, you end up paying in your purchases. You may not even realize how social media marketing is affecting your buying habits. This is because it has become so ingrained into our whole online experience. Within our use of mainstream social media, we have become so used to the psychological tricks played in the field of online marketing, that we just don’t even see them anymore. However, it is still there.

Vero is offering an alternative to the broken system. We know as a society that there is a place for the type of online interaction that social media brings. As consumers, it is now our place to show what kind of online experience we really want.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay