Thinkspot
 | |
Type of site | Social networking service |
|---|---|
| Founder(s) | Jordan Peterson Dave Rubin |
| URL | thinkspot |
Thinkspot is an online social networking service started by Jordan Peterson and Dave Rubin following the banning of several content producers from the membership platform Patreon. They conceived of the site together as a platform centered on free speech. Currently in beta release, the website has been met with negative reception.
History
In December 2018, Carl Benjamin—an anti-feminist YouTuber known as "Sargon of Akkad"—was suspended by the membership platform Patreon, a website on which internet creators can receive money from fans who subscribe to their feed for a regular fee. Benjamin was later banned from the service, which reported that he used "racial and homophobic slurs to degrade another individual".[1] This became the impetus for Canadian clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson and conservative political commentator Dave Rubin to found Thinkspot. Shortly after Benjamin was banned, the pair announced their intent to create what they called a "free speech platform", hoping it would be launched by Christmas.[1] Prior to leaving Patreon, Peterson was receiving donations of $30,000 a month through the website.[2]
By July 2019, an expected release date of August was announced.[2] By the end of July, a beta test for the site was underway in which both user and content creators were allowed on to the site. The first small collection of contributors included Dave Rubin, Carl Benjamin, entrepreneur James Altucher, retired U.S. officer Jocko Willink and science writer Michael Shermer. On the user side, beta-testers were allowed on the platform in limited numbers, and a wait list was developed to allow on additional users.[3] An article by Gizmodo from December 2019, at which point the beta phase and waiting list were still in effect, estimated that a few thousand users were allowed on the platform.[4]
Product details
Thinkspot is billed as a 'free speech alternative' to Patreon, but also with functionality to be an alternative to the video-hosting website YouTube and social network Twitter.[2] Peterson says the site will only remove content or ban users if required by court, in service of the free-speech goal. To counterbalance the possibility for abuse, he says that a minimum word count on posts should mean that simple trolling is rendered more difficult.[2] In addition, voting on comments is used. Comments that fall below a 50% approval rating would be hidden.[5]
The product allows a wide variety of interaction options, including feeds, forums, comments, a 'discourse button,' and reference annotations similar to those of the website Genius. Though emoji reactions are part of the website's functionality, an FAQ on the website reports that they "do not allow the use of emojis". Memes and profile pictures are also prohibited.[4]
Payments and funding
Access to Thinkspot requires a subscription fee of $2.50 per month, and the service has different levels of access plans. There exists a lower-tier plan which only allows access to content, while a higher-fee plan allows 'contributor' capabilities. In addition, paywalled content exists on the site, such as premium feeds for individual contributors. For instance, access to Peterson's feed costs $240 per year.[4][6]
Reception
The site's beta version has received negative critical reception. John Semley of The Guardian wrote that the website "feels very much like a pay-to-play Jordan Peterson fan site".[6] Brian Feldman of Intelligencer criticized Peterson for the website's mechanic of hiding comments which receive downvotes, calling it "ironic given the professor's stance as a free-speech absolutist".[5] Tom McKay of Gizmodo found the website's design "headache-inducing". McKay reported being charged for subscription immediately despite the displayed message saying that the billing cycle would not start until January 1, 2020.[4] Semley, Matthew Kassel of The Forward, Benjamin Goggin of Business Insider, and Ignacio Martinez of The Daily Dot express concern at the interest by white nationalists and other extremists in the site, noting parallels to other 'free speech'-oriented platforms such as Gab that became used almost exclusively by such demographics.[6][3][2][7]
References
- ^ a b Ioanes, Ellen (19 December 2018). "Jordan Peterson claims he's building an alternative to Patreon". The Daily Dot. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Martinez, Ignacio (13 June 2019). "Jordan Peterson is releasing a 'free speech' alternative to Patreon called Thinkspot". The Daily Dot. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
- ^ a b Kassel, Matthew (24 July 2019). "Jordan Peterson's Starting A 'Free Speech Hub' — And Extremists Are Intrigued". The Forward. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
- ^ a b c d McKay, Tom (26 December 2019). "Jordan Peterson, Sir, Mr. Surrogate Dad Sir: Please Return My Ten Dollars". Gizmodo. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
- ^ a b Feldman, Brian (12 June 2019). "Jordan Peterson's Online Platform Will Shadowban Unpopular Opinions". NY Magazine. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
- ^ a b c Semley, John (4 December 2019). "What is Jordan Peterson's new anti-censorship website like?". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
- ^ Goggin, Benjamin (17 December 2018). "Top Patreon creators, of the 'Intellectual Dark Web,' say they're launching an alternate crowdfunding platform not 'susceptible to arbitrary censorship'". Business Insider. Retrieved 2 June 2020.