Net result is safety

A SPORTS’ scientist is looking to tap into the unease some people feel about using social media in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

The data scandal saw an app developer sell the private details of millions of Facebook users, including 311,000 Australians, to a political firm, which allegedly used it to influence the 2016 US election.

Dr Ashley Berge, a former tennis coach, who completed her doctorate at Griffith University in 2014, has launched Topicthread, which aims to be “MySpace on steroids”.

Essentially Topicthread is a web and mobile-based platform designed to create a “genuine” social media experience without ads, abuse or harassment, or the fear that an organisation is collecting your data.

“We have chucked in the best parts of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn, and we have refined and simplified it. That is how Topicthread has been born,” she said.

Dr Berge said she was motivated to develop the platform after witnessing the experiences of a family member and friend on social media.

“I had a personal friend where someone took a picture of them and wrote negative things and it was shared. She tried to get it taken down by Facebook and Instagram,” she said.

“I wanted to create a platform that is like how social media used to be — fun, safe and secure.”

User numbers are tiny — less than 100 currently — but Dr Berge is hoping that recent events where people’s privacy was compromised may social media users to opt for her platform.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission in a recent public survey found less than 7 per cent of consumers felt confident they understood how their data was shared and 83 per cent were worried about how their information was being collected.

“We do not collect data like other networks and we do not have third-party integrations,” she said. “Topicthread ... is a clean, safe, and tidy, platform.”

Users can filter what they see based on a number of preferences including friendships, groups, posts, updates, and more.

In addition, there are sections for posting job ads and applying for work, publishing to Topicthread, which must be approved by administrators, and health, which feeds into Dr Berge’s sports science background.

Dr Berge said she hopes to launch another section where users can publish educational courses for people to complete at no cost.

“We want users to contribute to making education free worldwide.

“That is a huge statement and a big goal to achieve..”

However, Topicthread is not free, something Dr Berge is upfront about.

“Since we do not run adverts or have third-party integrations there is a small fee,” she said.

“The first two months are free, no strings attached. If you want to stay on board it is just over $4 a week.”

WE HAVE CHUCKED IN THE BEST PARTS OF FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM AND LINKEDIN, AND WE HAVE REFINED AND SIMPLIFIED IT.