The Global Now

A digital publication for understanding the present, to pave the way for a better future.

The Problem

The way that information is disseminated needs to change. News and advertisements on social media skew political view points, and the ever-expanding influence of journalistic sensationalism has distracted informed citizens from the issues that are truly critical. It is impossible to wonder “what are the roots of the conflict in Syria?” and then get an unbiased, accurate answer that shows each side of the story, the specific decisions that led to the current level of escalation, and everything that can be done to help. Modern media sources impose a filter on every piece of information in existence, optimizing online feeds with the headlines that will attract the most “clicks” without any regard for the information that matters most.

Technological research is inaccessible. Anyone who devotes themselves to technological and scientific development knows how difficult it has become to develop an intricate yet big-picture scope of modern frontiers in a particular field of study. Sorting through dozens of dense academic papers in the haphazard global sphere of academia, speaking to numerous industry experts and research pioneers, and sorting through a seemingly endless supply of superficial journalistic opinions is considered a baseline. If that’s the minimum time and effort it takes for a researcher to fully understand a concept, it’s nearly impossible for anyone with a different realm of expertise to attempt to immerse themselves in the details of an emerging technology.

People don't know how to contribute to the causes that matter. Modern philanthropy is deeply flawed in that it has become increasingly difficult to find the most effective way of making an impact through donations. Websites and certification platforms like CharityNavigator and GuideStar help verify legitimacy and transparency but fail to place nonprofits and social enterprises in the full scope of the issues they represent. There is no way to become fully informed about a nuanced problem, no way to understand the progress being made by impactful initiatives, and no way to schematically understand the root causes and derived solutions they adopt.

The Solution

An online publication that dynamically highlights the complexities behind global problems such that the presented information is directly conducive to solving them. Specific, geographically and chronologically organized topics will delve deep into the key causes of important issues through a variety of lenses. Experts will verify technical, field-specific topics, and matters subject to debate will be presented through multiple perspectives. All evidence will be cited religiously.

A data-driven think tank that puts action in front of the general public.

The opportunity to display current events on such a scale will enable interdisciplinary and cross-process synthesis of ideas on an unprecedented scale. People will be able to get all of the information they need, yet be able to think for themselves and take action upon the things they care about.

Display options will be palatable and flexible without compromising professional-level communication of concepts. Each article, module, or segment will consist of an introductory video and a TL;DR-like summary for people looking for a quicker glance at the topic at hand.

Readers will have the opportunity to see commentary by PhD level researchers and experts on each topic. Academic conversations will be facilitated throughout the platform, and AI-powered moderation will ensure a constant flow of diverse or contrarian viewpoints. Each section will boil down to conclude in action-oriented resolutions:

→ Technology entails the scientific research and engineering developments that will contribute to a particular objective. This includes government-sponsored research, academic research, and privately funded research for both corporate and social agendas.

→ Policy involves the political decisions and actions that will help achieve a certain goal, from enforcing a carbon dioxide tax to subsidizing mental illness response providers to promoting freedom of speech. Policy solutions will primarily center around legislation.

→ Philanthropy represents the donation-oriented aspects. The most efficient way to address an issue is often by scaling existing solutions. This section will present some of the most promising initiatives that will be able to effectively utilize monetary contributions to expand their impact.

→ Action includes ways that individuals can educate, advocate, and make a difference in their community. This might include items such as communicating with politicians, building networking infrastructure, contributing to crowd-sourced projects, or making specific lifestyle changes.

This is not a news outlet.

TGN seeks to throw sensationalism and clickbait out the window. Modern digital media has grown to revolve around user engagement time, which is both because newspapers are a business whose job it is to sell words, and because newspapers are a business whose job it is to sell attention by running advertisements. No paywalls. No ads. This system will be privately funded in a way that justifies its existence—if it's important enough, then someone will pay for it.

Even then, this isn't quite journalism. Analyzing the world's most pressing issues isn't about creating a compelling narrative; it's about flatly exploring reality with an open mind. That's why the platform will not market any content on social media platforms—people shouldn't becoming for the ideas themselves; they should be attracted to the product because of the way ideas are presented.

The ultimate people-powered information medium.

The future of information centers around distributed systems. Blockchain, the internet, and smart grids all reflect the overarching development of information and processing thereof becoming more widely dispersed, an objective this platform seeks to replicate precisely. Think of Wikipedia, but every single fact is scrutinized to a microscopic level and verified by leading industry experts - plus, TGN is process and action-oriented. People shouldn't be walking away saying, "Wow, that was cool" or "Whoa, that's pretty interesting." They should be walking away with an understanding of their unique role in alleviating climate change or ending human trafficking.

The Global Now combines the best of academia, journalism, and policy research. Online writing platforms like Medium are subject to clickbait, paywalls, and unverified information. Anyone will have the opportunity to contribute their opinions and commentary on a topic, and algorithms will sort pieces not only by popularity but by relevance and diversity. Topics that become highly disputed will warrant conversation by experts.

One of the core tenets of the platform is that there is no absolute truth. While it is essential to agree on basic facts and statistics to make progress on an issue, there is no opinion that isn't worth a second look and no claim that can be universally accepted. Through strategic graphic design, engineering, writing, and outreach, The Global Now platform will facilitate an online community that has the knowledge and passion to make an impact.