GoRate is a social media platform where people can “GoRate” both native and user-generated content, in the form of poll-like Questions.

By “GoRate” we mean answering said questions with a mark between [-5] and [+5] reflecting the extent of their agreement or disagreement with it. Critically, answers span the range from extreme values, as opposed to a simple yes/ no reply, thus creating room for moderate opinions, something we’ve come to miss lately… The questions will each have one or more “Topics” (subjects, or people of interest, as in “in the news”) tagged in them (within the app, not externally) so that the mark on the question will also reflect upon them, again within GoRate’s realm. Each Question consists of the question itself, an attached photo, a short description and an optional external link. Users can comment on questions and share them as well. Content is divided into multiple interests and categories, including Politics, Entertainment, Sports and Humanities, where each is further divided into specific interests.

In short, GoRate users will be (Go)Rating the actions and decisions of the world’s leading personalities, as well as major Topics, such as global warming, human rights, etc. in a sort of continuously open ballot box, which GoRate really is. The Topics’ individual indexes will thus directly reflect public sentiment towards them in a timely fashion.

As such, GoRate is empowerment for people and accountability for leaders, in a form of “democracy unleashed” platform, a modern agora of sort, whereby any user anywhere on earth with a smart phone and internet access can draw attention to a particular issue, and ask for other people’s opinion on same. Anytime, all the time. Users are not passive reception modules anymore, as they can echo the news and ask for people’s opinion on any specific issue. GoRate is therefore disrupting the one-way relationship between the world’s leading figures and subject on the one hand, and the public at large and their fan base on the other, as these can now affect said figure and pressure them to modify their behavior. Critically, GoRate leaves room for the moderates, away from the typical and coercive “YES/ NO” which leaves no room for more balanced stances.

A GoRate user will typically open the app, and browse through his feed which scrolls down vertically, as well as stories which can be swiped through horizontally on top. He can stall on any particular Question, expand it to read the descriptive text, voice his opinion via the slider mark, follow the external link, add a comment, or share it to other platforms. Alternatively and critically, users can, by pressing the [+] button, open a template and create their own content (Question) as mentioned above.

We are all emotional about one issue or another, often many. We could be football fans who follow up closely on global warming and movies, perhaps with an interest in European politics. Or any combination of one or more interests. As well, we are also all frustrated by our inability to affect, or “get back” at the news, at least in a manner that would somehow make a difference. GoRate offers you just that. The capacity to influence Topics and issues critical to you by contributing to a published public perception index, which in turn will serve the purpose of influencing said Topics into serving the public in an ethical and positive manner. For a better humankind.