Censorship Resistant Social Media with Justin Rezvani - WBD506

Justin Rezvani is the founder and CEO of Zion. In this interview,
we discuss completing Ironman, his near-death experience,
recovery and perspectives, and motivations for building a new
business. Justin explains his vision to enable creators to own
distribution and the future of social media.


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Not many of us walk through life thinking any day could be our
last. But most live as though we have unlimited tomorrows. We
leave dreams unfulfilled, arguments unresolved, our attention
diverted to the wrong priorities. For those who experience death,
but live to tell the tale, it is a pivotal event that leads to a
refocused life.


And for those who do get a second chance, they tend to grab
opportunities as they arise. Justin came through a near-death
experience and traumatic rehabilitation. Once recovered he seized
the chance to use Bitcoin to remake social media. Better for
creators, and users. Better for the curation and protection of
online discussion. Better for the development of communities.


The issues with current centralised platforms are obvious to all
at the moment. Business models are incentivised to capture
attention, not to nurture civil debate. The digital town square
has turned into a digital bear bit. And yet censorship has turned
into a blunt instrument open to abuse. The rule book needs
rewriting.


Bitcoin, decentralised identification and other technology offer
an opportunity to provide creators ownership of the distribution.
Communities will no longer be tied to a platform. There will
always be aggregators of content, but creators and their audience
will now have the flexibility to move across a decentralised
internet if and when they choose or require.