Telepath launched invites this week and we’re starting to be more open about what we’re trying to do. /1

We want to build the best platform for infinite, threaded, social conversation. There are a bunch of elements involved in this — most of which involve making & designing software — obviously not my strength. Richard & our eng team have built a super-fun, beautiful product. /2

I focus on the human elements of the social conversation space. My ambition is for Telepath to build a community (1) which is great for women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ writers, (2) where disinformation doesn’t proliferate, and (3) where the overall tone is very kind. /3

Tatiana discusses online misogyny & how we think about it. It’s complicated b/c many online men are assholes who use sneaky, passive aggressive tactics designed to create plausible deniability — “I was just curious!” /4 https://twitter.com/Tatiana_Estevez/status/1309130467346657282

We’re also obsessively focused on disinformation. Disinformation persists across social media, and is getting worse. The software to fix this isn’t complicated — identify bad publishers and cut their distro and/or ban them. /5

Moreover, this problem is concentrated and addressable → my guess is that a few hundred publishers account for the bulk of online disinformation. This isn’t a million monkeys typing Shakespeare. /6

The problem with fighting disinformation is social and political, not technological. You have to be willing to acknowledge the obvious — that yes, there is disinformation across the board, but that right-wing publishers are a *much* bigger problem than sources on the left. /7

The list of right-wing disinformation outlets is endless, starting with the head of the curve: Fox News, Breitbart, OANN, Gateway Pundit, etc. These are the outlets that propagate various bullshit conspiracy theories — pandemic denialism, QAnon, anti-vaxx bullshit, etc. /8

Flooding the zone with bullshit isn’t a bug of contemporary politics — it’s a feature of the right. This has been true for years, but it’s been especially true under the Trump presidency. /9 https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/1/16/20991816/impeachment-trial-trump-bannon-misinformation

We’re going to be completely transparent about this process, and publicly share the trust score of each publisher/domain. We will explain which articles lead to their trust score, so anyone can verify our work. /10

Finally, kindness. #BeKind is a core Telepath value. We’re inviting people to come together to talk about common interests and take risks by sharing their authentic thoughts — using their real name! /11

If a community is unkind, thoughtful people are driven away. We want to create a space where people can make new friends, be vulnerable, and have their minds changed./12

I believe strongly: intolerance and big lies destroy online communities. Misogyny, racism, and transphobia are the canaries in the coal mine. “In order to maintain a tolerant society, the society must be intolerant of intolerance.” /end