Healthcare professionals were among the first groups to adopt social media back in 2008–2009.
They opened their blogs where they regularly published content, also doing so on their newly established accounts on platforms like Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, etc.
In Spain, these pioneers gathered in person at the two Congresses of the Healthcare Blogosphere in 2010 and 2011 in Madrid.
And globally, the first meetings were organized in forums such as Doctors 2.0 & You in Paris.
We were then experiencing an era of progressive use of these tools where users were attracted by the values of the second stage of the web: contribution to content generation, networking, learning, a sense of horizontal relationship, recognition, and online reputation.
It was a vibrant scene.
And all this through platforms with free access, also endowed with great ease of use, as it was not necessary to have technological knowledge.
But after the stage of massive adoption of these corporate networks driven by the network effect, the time for extraction came: maximum monetization of user data to bill for advertising and thus achieve the insatiable annual business goals of these corporations in a highly competitive environment called the attention economy.
And their business goals were never aligned with those of the network users since they have not shared the benefits, or a significant portion of them, neither with content creators (with the exception of YouTube) nor with users who provide their attention.
In short, they have us trapped within their "walled gardens":
What can we do with the members of our communities on closed platforms that do not allow them to be moved or ported to other optional networks?
How do we compete against arbitrary algorithms that reduce visibility and reach of the content we publish to force us to pay if we want to have greater amplification?
How can we own our username if it doesn't actually belong to us because it is the property of the corporations?
How to respond to content censorship or account cancellation policies?
Have we been warned or compensated in any way when security breaches have occurred on those networks that have compromised the privacy of our data?
Our virtual self is not ours. We are not sovereign over our digital identity and the time and effort invested in generating quality content has become a big business concentrated in just a handful of technology companies.
Isn't it time to react by taking advantage of the great potential offered by blockchain networks that have a general and non-financial purpose - like Ethereum - and that allow us to build new applications and services that address the aforementioned status quo?
It's time to build a decentralized social network for healthcare professionals:
Self-sovereignty and data ownership
In a decentralized social network, healthcare professionals would have complete control over their data.
Unlike corporate social networks, where owning companies have the ability to manage and monetize user information, in a blockchain-based network, professionals will be the sole owners and will have exclusive authority to control their data and give it the purpose and use they desire.
Privacy
In the blockchain, data is anonymized and endowed with maximum security through cryptography.
Its members will be able to trust that their therapeutic strategies and clinical cases are shared securely and only with those to whom they grant access.
Decentralization - cutting out the middlemen
This new network will allow professionals to interact directly with the editorial boards of scientific journals, eliminating the need for intermediaries in the publishing process.
This can streamline research publication and increase healthcare professionals' income from successful publications in high-impact journals.
A token for the network as an incentive system
A virtual currency - ERC20 token - associated with the decentralized platform could provide economic incentives, recognition, and reputation, financial flexibility, participation in governance, and opportunities for economic growth for those who contribute to the success and development of this decentralized network.
It will be the design of the network's tokenomics.
Training accreditation and curriculum
Through POAP tokens (Proof of Attendance Protocol), healthcare professionals will be able to record their educational achievements and work experience on the blockchain in an immutable way.
POAP tokens would act as verifiable and unique digital certificates representing participation in training events, conferences, courses, or any other activity relevant to their professional development in the healthcare field.
These tokens could be issued by educational institutions, healthcare organizations, or any authorized entity such as official accreditation bodies. They would be securely stored on the blockchain, ensuring their authenticity and accessibility over time.
In this way, healthcare professionals could demonstrate transparently and verifiably their training and experience, which could facilitate hiring processes, professional collaboration, and recognition within the healthcare community.
Collaboration and professional community
This decentralized social network will foster closer collaboration among healthcare professionals of different specialties, allowing them to share knowledge and therapeutic strategies in a much safer and reliable community than that of corporate networks.
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It's time to leave the "walled gardens" that are the platforms of web2.
General-purpose blockchain technology allows us to create a new dimension of professional interaction, collaboration, and monetization of knowledge and data for healthcare professionals.
A great opportunity to build the internet we want, not the internet we inherited — Chris Dixon (Read Write Own)
It's time to take the step.
Who dares?