South African rationale promoting tech startup No Bull is aiming to start a social movement with its cross-platform thinking supplementation service to promote critical thinking.
Aiming to launch the idea as a social experiment by September 2013, founder Justin Germishuys will address the “big issue of information” encountered on the internet.
No Bull aspires to become a portal and brand associated with rational reliability with regards to online material.
Despite its focus on the internet, No Bull also aims to be available on mobile devices.
Through tagging information which proves to be faulty, the ‘No Bull’ stamp of approval will enhance functionality to assist in finding logical information.
Speaking to HumanIPO, Germishuys said: “Bull tags will allow individuals to tag what they consider to be flawed or manipulative claims [thereby] creat[ing] the assurance of being critical.”
Not only will this startup give the opportunity to academics or people with specialised knowledge in certain fields to contribute on a voluntary basis, but also aspire to instill a corporate culture of transparent claims and reasoning.
The academic explained: “A lot of people have an insane amount of knowledge… [but in] reality [it] remain[s] limited and unused.”
According to Germishuys, media is “unavoidable” and therefore the startup is set to give people the tools and freedom to question the reliability of claims.
Starting with the most popular information sources accessed, No Bull will target content across all medias from written to video material.
According to plan, growth of No Bull-tagged content will put pressure on sources to supply reliable information.
With quality checks, credibility ratings and bull percentages, the content will be standardised.
This will also aid researchers to be ensured of consistency and reliability of sources drawn upon.
“It creates an environment where people can find information that they might want and know that they can trust it. [It] sidesteps one of the major issues one has with the internet,” Germishuys said.
A subscription service is also under development, which will allow No Bull to enter the corporate sphere in the future.
Germishuys aims to develop a new way of thinking.
He continued to explain: “Ideologies are often very dangerous… but in a way the ideology behind the ideology would get a lot of people to agree that this is more than a business, but possibly a social movement as well.”
Recognising the need for systems and tools that aid internet users in discerning among the exponential growth of information on the internet, Germishuys developed the idea with the purpose in mind to elevate society’s level of reasoning.
No Bull was selected as a finalist at the Start Up Africa entrepreneur in Cape Town earlier this month.
