Why we're building Debaty
We agree more often than you think — the conversation just sounds different. Why Debaty exists, what you'll do there soon, and how you can help build it right now.
This post was translated from Dutch.
Three-quarters of Dutch people think the disagreements in the country keep getting bigger. The Netherlands Institute for Social Research looked into it: on many topics we agree more than we think we do, and the differences aren't growing. What people do object to is the tone. The loudest voices get the most attention, people listen poorly, and anyone who's unsure drops out.
That tone isn't a force of nature. Most social networks make their money from your attention: the longer you stay and the more fiercely you react, the better for the advertising machine. Anger holds on, so anger rises to the top. And people are running dry on it: worldwide, four in ten people now avoid the news sometimes or often — not out of disinterest, but out of fatigue.
That's why we're building Debaty: a social network where the conversation is the product — not you.
What you do on Debaty
Every day starts light. One question a day, usually of the pineapple-on-pizza kind, sometimes with a bit more weight. You answer with a single tap and then see your school: who sits close to you and who's far away. No right or wrong — just a small daily reason to see how others look at something.
After that it works the way you're used to. Short posts — we call them bubbles — following people, replying, a timeline. The difference is in what can happen next: a bubble worth a real conversation grows into a debate, with positions for, against, and nuanced side by side, and sources as a full part of it. A joke is allowed to grow into a good conversation here.
There's no like counter. You value a contribution with words that actually mean something: "Strong point," "Well argued," or "Changed my mind." Anyone who changes their mind here doesn't lose face — they get recognition for it. And when facts are in doubt, the network itself can add context to a post: member notes with mandatory sources, assessed by members — never a ruling from us.
Three things that are different here
- You see why something is on your timeline. Every bubble in your timeline carries an explanation of why it's there, and every signal that factors in has its own slider in your settings. A timeline you can't understand is one you can't trust — so here you can understand it and adjust it. See for yourself how the timeline works.
- We never sell you. No advertising profile, no data sales; your data stays in the EU. Debaty lives on an optional subscription (Debaty+) and on ads that belong to a topic, never to a person. Here's how Debaty makes money — and if you ever want to leave, you simply take all your data with you.
- Honest about what isn't there. Debaty is young and unfinished. What works is on; what isn't finished is off. And what we promise is public — with, for each promise, a line that tells you how to check it yourself. Read our seven promises.
Who's building this
Debaty is built by a small Dutch company, with no outside investors. That isn't modesty but part of the design: there's no one who can demand one day that we start making money from your data after all. Who's behind it and how it all fits together is on the about page.
Why we open in phases
Debaty is open for pre-registration: you can look around without an account, and registering is by invitation. That's not a trick to make it feel exciting — we don't do "only three spots left" — but a choice for quality. The first members set how this network sounds, so we let small groups in at a time, in order of sign-up, and only once the previous group has settled in well.
Being on the waiting list costs you nothing but an email address. You get one confirmation email, and after that you'll hear from us as soon as it's your turn — we won't send you anything else.
What you can do today
- Join the waiting list. The earlier you're in, the more you shape what Debaty becomes.
- Look around. Today's question and real, public conversations — no made-up numbers, no fake buzz.
- Tell us what's wrong. A network under construction gets more from criticism than from applause. The help center is the fastest way.
- Know someone looking for this? Forward this message. Debaty doesn't grow with an advertising budget, but with people who spread the word.