The Application and the development company
TIHOMA (acronym for "Terran Information Horizon Manager", pronounced ti-ho-ma) is an online application which, as described in its full name in English, aims to help users manage the available information found on the internet and specifically to have access to reliable and valuable information. At this stage, the management focuses on information of public and journalistic interest. The application also belongs to the category of social media, as understood in today's online applications. The current version (version) is 0.2.0 and is currently being tested by a closed circle of people who have knowledge in software development, journalism, or belong to civil society, among others. The legal entity developing managing the application is TIHOMA Single-Member Private Company, and all development so far has been done with own resources and voluntarily. The idea of the application was conceived back in 2019, the company was founded in October 2022 and the software development started in June 2023.
The purpose of the application
One of the main reasons for creating the application is the issues that have arisen concerning information in the age of the internet. Specifically, although reliable information has always been a timeless issue, with the mass access of people to the internet and social media, both the volume of immediately available information and the ease of spreading false information and misinformation have rapidly increased. The companies that manage social media have taken some measures related to verifying important information and filtering problematic content, but these have not managed to drastically limit the spread of unreliable information. Additionally, the flood of information on the internet hardly facilitates information and even less its accuracy. It should also be mentioned that, in general, social networks with the largest number of users are designed to increase user interaction and attract their attention rather than promote rational use. In this landscape, TIHOMA emerges as a networking tool and a source of valuable and reliable information.
The methods of the application
For managing information, the core steps followed in the application include the evaluation of user posts by the users themselves through a comprehensive evaluation form and their subsequent sorting based on time, rating, content, the individuals whose posts the user follows, and so on. In this way, posts with informational content are sorted into feeds on the TIHOMA homepage. The homepage is accessible with or without registration on the application. However, to make a post or evaluation, registration is required. Additionally, for a user's posts to appear in the homepage feeds, at least one of their posts must have been evaluated by other users who are already registered and rated by the community on the application. The rating of users on their posts also affects the weight of their evaluations. Thus, by creating an initial community of users under transparent conditions that adhere to clear journalistic ethics, a network of people emerges who evaluate available information with increased reliability, making it manageable through TIHOMA. Furthermore, the user interface environment allows users to feel comfortable and make sober decisions on what they want to focus on without exploiting their senses and emotions to capture their attention or push them into interaction.
Ethos and vision
The platform's functions aim, among other things, to provide broad access to reliable and valuable information and to enhance citizen participation in public affairs and journalism. This endeavor is inextricably linked to the values of democracy, pluralism, meritocracy, transparency, participation, independence, equality, and social responsibility. It aspires to operate as a model of integrity and a space for social activity. There is a commitment to public accessibility of the source code when the application becomes publicly accessible, the human-centered nature of its interface, the protection of users' personal data, and the non-profit nature of the project—all these, of course, provided it reaches the stage of open use. The potential progress of the endeavor through a process of sustainable development will open the doors for its continuous evolution in many areas, such as enhancing the evaluation mechanism with additional safeguards, expanding the capacity to manage information in fields beyond news, interoperability with other social media, user participation in the governance of the platform, and more.
Participation in the project
The participation of individuals engaged in anything of journalistic interest (social issues, politics, ecology, equality, science, etc.), those using technology for social benefit, and generally active citizens is very important. Whether it concerns testing the functionality of the application, regular use, joining the project team, promotion, financial support, or any other assistance aligned with its values and operation, the TIHOMA development project is ambitious and very demanding. Designed to be used by people and for people, it cannot progress without them.