By Riley Kaminer
Traditional social media is broken. It has divided us while creating or worsening users’ mental health issues such as cyberbullying, social anxiety, and depression. But one Fort Lauderdale founder is on a mission to change social media for the better.
Kalista Zackhariyas is the founder and CEO of Sparkseeker, a new social media platform. The platform hopes to be a healthy alternative to existing platforms – fostering meaningful connections and supporting, rather than harming, emotional wellness.
Zackhariyas explained that she grew up in an abusive home and experienced many hardships early in her life, including homelesness. “I was looking for healing and support, but I lived in a world where help was hard to find,” she told Refresh Miami.
Over the last 25 years, Zackhariyas has held a variety of leadership positions across marketing, media, and extreme sports. But around seven years ago, she came to the realization that social media is doing more harm than good – and felt the need to do something about it.
Since then, Zackhariyas has been working to develop Sparkseeker, a video-based, mobile community. The team dove into neuroscience research to identify and incorporate features that engage consumers without what they describe as the harmful and predatory systems underpinning today’s top social media platforms. The platform has eliminated all invasive data practices that commoditize user data, like in-stream ads and data leveraging.
Every aspect of Sparkseeker, including comments, are video-based – preventing users (or “Seekers,” as the company calls them) from spreading hate while hiding behind their keyboard. On Sparkseeker, users do not “like” content, but are rather encouraged to say “thank you” in response to posts, or share a video response. The team argues that this simple switch nudges creators to post thoughtful content, while users are able to express gratitude when content resonates with them in a meaningful way.
There are four main ways users can connect with each other on Sparkseeker.
- “Sparks” – the most similar communication method to traditional social media platforms – enable users to share what is exciting in their life.
- “Initiatives” let users educate and inspire people about things they’d like to see in the world.
- “Campfires” are live video calls where an unlimited number of attendees can meet and have a conversation.
- “Actions” aim to empower users to co-create meaningful change in the real world. A portion of the startup’s revenue goes toward social impact solutions chosen by users.
“The idea is to really bring people together around the things that matter to them,” said Zackhariyas. “You can create that community support by getting involved and sharing the collective efforts and impact.”
Apart from an Indiegogo campaign, Sparkseeker has been bootstrapped thus far. However, Zackhariyas signaled interest in opening up the startup to external investors. The platform is currently in private beta, with plans to launch publicly within the next two months. The company has five full-time executives, plus more than 20 developers. Zackhariyas and COO Shalee Lindey are the only two employees based in South Florida currently, and are both in Broward.
Zackhariyas, who originally hails from Canada but has lived here for seven years, is bullish on the South Florida tech ecosystem. “South Florida tech is booming right now, but there’s still lots of room for growth.”
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