Social Media is unavoidable. Most of us have at one point or another become hopelessly addicted to some social media network such as Facebook, YouTube or one of the many other options out there. The web has quickly evolved from an information and shopping portal to a global community of bloggers, taggers, stumblers and sharers. As we adults become more and more engrossed with the internet as a community and sharing tool, a new generation of early adopters are creating their own private web 2.0 revolution. Leading this revolution and a lot of the media attention that comes with it is child-friendly social media browser; KidZui.KidZui was born when parent and tech buff Vidar Vignisson couldn't find a safe and enjoyable way for his children to surf the net. Frustrated with the quality of content filter software on the market place he joined with entrepreneurs Cliff Boro and Thomas Broadhead to found KidZui, the Web 2.0, dynamic browser for kids. The content-filtering system on this browser is made possible by the thousands of supportive parents and advocates who daily surf the net to find suitable content for its growing users.
As with any new web-based product aimed at children, parents are naturally apprehensive about the safety aspects of the KidZui browser. As parents themselves, the developers have incorporated these concerns into the safety aspects of the browser making it safer and easier to use than its counterparts. Parents will also be pleased to know that it's not possible for users to communicate with each other through instant messaging, profile comments or similar means; protecting users from paedophiles portraying themselves as children. Parents are also given further peace of mind as they receive a weekly e-mail showing their children's surfing habits. Whilst all of these safety features are amazing, is KidZui just another childblock?
Obviously the main aim of the browser is to provide children with safe, parent-trusted websites. However the browser goes a lot further than that, drawing from the web 2.0 internet we adults enjoy today. Keeping in line with popular social media websites, users can create a 'Zui' or profile to share information about themselves and their favourite websites and content. As kids stumble across pages, videos or images that they like, these can be tagged and shared with their online community of friends. In a similar style to bookmarking sites for 'grown-ups', the browser also features a web 2.0 yardstick for measuring popular content which grows hotter as the content grows in popularity! All in all, the browser takes many of the best features from popular social media websites we adults enjoy and makes them accessible to children.
According to Techcrunch, the average user watches 80 videos per week, but only views around 21 photos. Although only a basic overview of the user's overall experience, these statistics suggest the next generation of the internet will almost be entirely focussed on video.
Kidzui doesn't feature any advertising and so makes all of its money from upgrades to paid memberships. Initially the browser launched as a completely paid-for service but soon after began offering users a free-membership service with the option of upgrading for $10 per month. Paid-for membership features include the opportunity to 'ping' your friends when they're online, as well as options to change backgrounds, moods or the clothing of your 'Zui'. Investors and developers are presumably hoping that once one kid upgrades, a fad will follow as all his friends annoy their parents to 'cough up' and do the same.
Although barely one year old, the browser has developed significant interest from both parents and their children. Naturally, a content-filtering system will be of little interest to most people but the way its users interact with the web could give us an idea of the shape of things to come.
