VO: Get ready for your semi-regular dose of random ideas from the guys at Codlation. We like to talk about big ideas companies that are winning, and those that aren't along with current events in our crazy world of software startups. So come along with Erick and Josh, who challenge you to think big, start small and turn your ideas into something on this episode of, from idea to done.
Josh: Hi everyone I'm Josh
Erick: And I'm Erick. And this week's idea is specific demographics. Social media is we're kind of still in presidential limbo right now. And in the middle of all this madness this year, some of the big dogs in social media, or they kind of started to pull content and say content isn't verified. And so what are your thoughts kind of on, you know, Facebook and Twitter stepping in on some of these posts?
Josh: You know, I think it's really an interesting business problem. Um, I'll put my disclaimer out there. This is my opinion and word we're treading towards political conversations. So, um, if you're going to be the gatekeeper for truth, like you need to apply it to everyone equally. Um, you know, there's a saying of equal isn't fair and fair isn't equal. So it's a tough one to say from like the business layer of really how to handle, because I mean, people's opinions get involved and then there's some factual truth. And, you know, I can't hold her a better comment as a dad that I just, I don't want my kids seeing some of the garbage that happens within these platforms. You know, maybe that's just my tinfoil hat after watching the social dilemma, Netflix,
Erick: You know, and what's kind of interesting about that. That was in that whole thing was interesting to me. And immediately after that, I like when people make fun of the president, cause it's funny. And I liked the daily show. I signed up to register through Trump's website so that I could get some of that other stuff because you know, we're putting on the tinfoil hats and all, but as far as kind of like a company goes, I think if it's your company within reason, you should be able to kind of do what you want, neither Facebook or Twitter. Like they don't cut their business model. Like we're the champions of free speech for everyone. And, but one of the like gripes that I do have with it is if you're as a company going to sensor specific people make sure things are verified. You should have some ethics in place to do this for advertisers.
Erick: Facebook says this was not verified content, so we're pulling it. But at the same time, they also say, Eric, here's a website that has crazy discounted Legos and the website was built yesterday. It's obviously fake and it's going to steal your money, but it's sponsored. So you can put that up. And so, yeah, I, that's probably a topic for a different episode, but you know, what are some of your thoughts on free speech across social and does either of these companies have like an obligation to let these posts stay up in the name of free speech?
Josh: Yeah. I think a lot of people look at free speech or the first amendment and say, you can't have fringe on my ability to say what I want, you know, within a social platform. And that that's not exactly true that the first amendment only protects us from government century sense. Centuries speech, say that four times fast, huh? No.
Erick: You know, so if a business
Josh: Starts blocking someone's post or flagging, it it's completely within their ability to do so. You know, now again, tinfoil hat going on. So when, when Congress comes in and starts, you know, investigating and start trying to pass laws based around censorship or something within the platform, does that move it closer to, you know, government censorship, censorship? There I go again. Um, I don't know, but it feels in a weird place and something in my spidey DNA doesn't like it. So I'm just going to leave that for our political podcast. Oh, political pocket.
Erick: That's the whole reason. We're all we're ready to civil war right now. And so for me, this kind of goes back to, you know, middle school, civics class, like this is the basic and I, yeah, no, this was, this was in like the nineties. So it's kinda neat. The F when we went over the very first time when we talked about the, uh, the constitution, they said, you know, you have free speech. What you can't yell fire in a theater and that's where you get into trouble. And I think this was made way before social media and this, some of the things that are said is kind of yelling fire in a theater with some of these public officials. And so it's kind of weird. I find it funny that the same people that won't declare an election won or lost because not everything is officially counted and verified also gets like publicly furious at other companies that aren't publishing that, that isn't verifies it. Not everyone sees that humor. And I've seen an influx of my friends, you know, jumping ship they're done with Facebook and they're moving to parlor. And so Josh, have you seen this or do you know anything about the app?
Josh: You know, I briefly looked at it, um, a couple of weeks ago and I think we're talking about it in the office. I read a review that, um, I can't remember where it was from, but they're basically saying it's a little bit of a dumpster fire in terms of they're going to start experiencing the same problems that Twitter and Facebook are currently dealing with.
Erick: Right. And, and just out of curiosity, I downloaded it, but then I deleted it right away. And you know, the part about Facebook that I hate is all politics. I just want to see my friends, their kids, what they're doing, their businesses, their pets, you know, food goofy stuff that's going on in their lives because we can't see each other right now. And political posts make me angry. So I downloaded, I almost got into it, but then I just died. Hold off. And so what are some of your, I mean, this was made for a specific demographic. So what are your thoughts on specific demographics, social media?
Josh: You know, I'll give my opinion on that. I, I think that no matter what, you have to have a healthy diet to have a healthy dialogue, you really need to see all sides and opinions for an issue. Um, if, if you need someone else's opinion to align with yours, so you feel like you're validated, then I guess that's the place for you to go. Um, but I, I don't, I don't think so.
Erick: You know, it's, it's hard to understand anyone or have compassion for anything. If you just don't look at things from all angles. And I think, I think this concept will kind of work to a point, you know, every app ever made, solves a problem. And if there's a big enough audience it'll work, and this one is a little different though, because it's more about politics and, and free speech, you know, before these specific social medias are kind of made basically all the popular ones just created and blew up because of one important factor and that's parents weren't on it. So if you look at the demographic of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and Tik TOK, these are all about five years of part in like peak popularity. And they all start on the same concept of like my parents aren't on it and they don't like it and they don't get it. And I that's, that's an age demographic and they kind of cling to that and there will be something new and there probably is already something new that I have no idea what it is. And as soon as I find out it will stop being cool, but it will own that five-year demographic. So do you think parlor has enough legs and kind of momentum to be successful?
Josh: You know, I'm sure they're going to have some level of success. Um, we're always preaching, you know, within correlation, we're always preaching niche markets when you're starting your idea. Like it's easy to talk to one audience, you know, I'll take my, my advice hat for startups off and give my opinion again, of, you know, I hope that very vertical platforms like that don't get momentum no matter what the ideology or political direction I think is just something that's harming us as a country, as we amp up around those that are like us, and then everyone else is wrong. Again, I'll leave that for our political podcast, Eric, but that's my take
Erick: On it. We did our very best at not getting political and staying away from that world in general. And I don't want to political podcasts. I just want to help everyone who wants to develop an idea. So we, we also develop apps though. So, so that's, I wanted to start this conversation because it was something new and it is kind of it's in our world. And so did you have any closing thoughts on parlor?
Josh: You know, I'll, I'll circle back of it. People are going to flock to it and they're going to be around people that are like them. And, you know, I, I think that's, there's going to be some level of success there, but at the end of the day, I think if you're a startup or somebody working on an idea, you can't just pigeonhole yourself with one part of the conversation. You need to know what the competition's doing. You need to know, um, what other factors are out there and to just put blinders on and just take your, your part of the conversation is not gonna help you from a, just a general business standpoint. So it may work for parlor, but, you know, if, if you were asking from a startup perspective, I would say, no, it's not, uh, not a great idea,
Erick: You know? And I think if this year has taught us anything is we have to, we can't stick in one lane, you have to be agile. You have to be able to kind of evolve where your target at, where you're at and who you're targeting. And so it'll be kind of interesting for me to see where this ends up. You know, you talked about it was having some of the problems that Facebook and Twitter had. If I was the marketing person for an opposing political campaign, I think I'd be pretty active in getting their side and try and like, if you know where your competition is, go digging and, you know, marketers wreck everything.
Josh: Yeah, no, I think you're going to see more, more vertical things. I mean, we've seen it within the, within the media happening over the last 10 years. So I think it's just something that's going to continue to happen, but
Erick: Yeah, isn't what it is. So thank you for listening. We're hoping, you know, a startup that could use our advice and random thoughts, send them over to correlation.com to hear an X podcast.
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