Kismet Group Acquires Media.com to Combat Misinformation with World-First Media Engagement Platform

Media.com will enable individuals and businesses to tell their stories and engage with all forms of media in a landscape increasingly driven by polarization and misinformation

Kismet Group, a leading Australian private equity group, has acquired Media.com, the internet’s premier media-related dot com domain, to launch a service to empower the public to share their stories and constructively engage with all forms of media. Media.com gives profile owners the power to take control of their reputation in a media landscape in dire need of a solution to restore balance and information accuracy.

Developed over the last three years, Media.com will launch a profile-based network designed to become home to millions of individuals, business executives, celebrities, influencers, politicians and corporations. There, they and their PR representatives can tell their stories and respond, challenge, correct and share their views about all forms of content without the risk of being degraded by trolls and fake profiles, or challenged by contradictory views.

The Media.com network will equip users with text, video and audio-based capabilities to publish their stories, communicate their views, confront misconceptions, ‘correct the record’, and share undistorted perspectives. By giving people a voice, it can rectify the current significant power imbalance presently plaguing traditional media and social media networks.

Designed as an essential reputation management tool

In the “brand safety” era where reputations built over many years can be destroyed at lightspeed, Media.com will be a critical platform for everyday use.

As the media landscape becomes increasingly polarized, it is a destination for counterbalance and neutrality. Its information can be accessed directly from the source via the user’s profile. The platform enables users to authentically express themselves, safeguarding their reputation across various media types, from news articles to social media posts.

Media.com is especially well positioned to address reputation problems caused by social networks that elevate or prioritize divisive content for engagement. Users can promptly react to stories, posts or comments about them on third-party platforms and publications without fear of their messages being manipulated or overshadowed by algorithms with contrasting agendas. Media.com ensures users have a genuine ‘right of reply’, which is increasingly rare in today’s digital ecosystem.

Additionally, unlike social networks, which are advertiser-driven and chase engagement to drive revenues, Media.com is a subscription-based network, enabling profile holders to have ‘clear air’ to express their views. The company’s decision to disallow ‘comments’ means users can tell their stories and state their position safely without harassment or objection. As a result, Media.com is built for its users, not third parties. Its unique design offers profile owners complete control over their public image.

“A Media.com profile will be indispensable for anyone with a story to tell. We provide the much-needed ability to engage constructively with media in a safe environment,” said James Mawhinney, CEO & Founder of Media.com. “The Media.com network is critical and timely for protecting society from the harm caused by misinformation, especially considering today’s fragmented and increasingly divisive media landscape where clickbait, polarized news, and engagement-reliant social platforms can dramatically affect anyone’s reputation. We are fortunate and humbled to have secured the highly sought-after domain name Media.com for this exciting initiative.”

Marketing Technology News: Shirofune Bolsters Advertising Management Capabilities with Pinterest Integration

High-value domain, tiered membership model offer points of difference and drive market opportunity

Media.com’s authoritative domain name is also a key weapon in the company’s plans to empower users to protect their reputation. The brand name and ability to share and respond to a vast variety of content on Media.com will boost user profiles in search engine results, which is critical for controlling and prominently surfacing narratives and responses that counter misinformation or reputationally harmful content.

Upon its launch, Media.com will offer affordable tiered memberships for individuals and companies, allowing them to create and manage their Media.com profile. Users can tell their stories, showcase their brand, respond to content in online and offline media, and upload supporting documents to support their points of view. The Media.com network is designed to appeal to almost anyone with a LinkedIn, Twitter/X, Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok account, opening a potential market opportunity for Media.com of over a billion users.

In terms of mass adoption, Media.com is expected to become a vital tool for research and due diligence. Users will be able to get information and views directly from the source rather than relying on second and third-hand information as is presently the case with much of the traditional media and social media landscape. Visitors to Media.com can access profiles and content free of charge to explore positions taken by users with respect to media content about them and relevant topics.

Identify verification ensures profile authenticity

A further point of difference is that all Media.com users will be verified using the latest ID-verification technology, ensuring profile authenticity and information integrity. This is in stark contrast to social platforms that have made profile verification optional due to the risk of losing users and advertising revenues generated from fake profiles.

Media.com is inviting users to register for early access to the network by visiting www.media.com. Access to create profiles, share stories and publish media responses will be granted on a first-in, first-served basis starting in 2024, with full public access progressively being released over the following eighteen months. Users who place a high value on their reputation and having their stories heard will have the opportunity to purchase Priority Passes in the coming weeks to ensure they are among the first to benefit from having a Media.com profile.

Marketing Technology News: MarTech Interview with Jared Parker, CEO at Rasgo