Enter Exit to Community
I struggled for a long time to articulate the vision for PeepMe. I always knew that things like profit sharing with our creators and community governance were part of that vision, but it wasn’t clear how all the pieces fit together. What I really wanted was something…more. I wanted to build a creator platform ecosystem that would transition over time to being owned and governed by the sex workers who used it. If a platform cooperative is the destination, then Exit To Community is the journey.
“EXIT TO COMMUNITY (E2C) IS AN EFFORT TO DEVELOP ALTERNATIVES TO THE STANDARD MODEL OF THE STARTUP “EXIT.” RATHER THAN SIMPLY AIMING FOR AN ACQUISITION BY A MORE ESTABLISHED COMPANY OR A PUBLIC STOCK OFFERING, COULD STARTUPS AIM TO MATURE INTO OWNERSHIP BY THEIR COMMUNITY OF STAKEHOLDERS?’
FROM MEDIA ENTERPRISE DESIGN LAB – UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO, BOULDER
Did anyone happen to catch “The Social Dilemma” on Netflix? If you haven’t watched it yet, I suggest you check it out. NOW. It explores the dangerous implications of social media on the fabric of our society, in this new era of surveillance capitalism. If there’s anything sex workers understand – it’s the implications of surveillance capitalism <side-eyes in FOSTA – SESTA>.
Tristan Harris, a former Google Design ethicist and now Co-Founder of the Center for Humane Technology, plays a key role in the documentary. He’s soft-spoken, brilliant, and haunted: 3 of my favorite things. So, of course, I immediately started following him on Twitter. While spending some quality time fangirling through his tweets I came along this:
Immediately, I clicked over to the TechCrunch article mentioned and hungrily gobbled it up.
“…THERE ARE OTHER WAYS FOR STARTUPS TO EXIT THAT COULD POTENTIALLY BRING MORE VALUE TO A LARGER VARIETY OF STAKEHOLDERS. EXIT TO COMMUNITY (E2C), A COLLABORATIVE WORKING PROJECT LED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO BOULDER’S MEDIA ENTERPRISE DESIGN LAB AND ZEBRAS UNITE, EXPLORES WAYS TO HELP STARTUPS TRANSITION INVESTOR-OWNED TO COMMUNITY OWNERSHIP, WHICH COULD INCLUDE USERS, CUSTOMERS, WORKERS OR SOME COMBINATION OF ALL STAKEHOLDERS.“
FROM “THERE’S A GROWING MOVEMENT WHERE STARTUP FOUNDERS LOOK TO EXIT TO COMMUNITY“
This was it. This was the way to fit all the pieces together. This was our way forward. It had a definition. It had a purpose. It had a name: Exit To Community.
Armed with my expert Google-Fu, I took a deep dive into everything E2C.
And learned about:
The Internet of Ownership – a collective of organizations leading the charge to democratize the internet.
“THE INTERNET OF OWNERSHIP IS A RESOURCE FOR THE EMERGING ONLINE DEMOCRATIC ECONOMY—A VISION FOR ONLINE PLATFORMS THAT SHARE DEMOCRATIC OWNERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE AMONG THE PEOPLE WHO RELY ON THEM, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO CONTRIBUTE THEIR LABOR AND PERSONAL DATA”
FROM THE INTERNET OF OWNERSHIP ABOUT PAGE
The first cooperatively owned creator platform for musicians, Ampled.
Zebras Unite – “A founder-led, cooperatively owned movement creating the culture, capital & community for the next economy”
Where do we start?
How does PeepMe become the first Sex Worker-Owned and Operated Platform Cooperative Exclusively for Adult Creators?
