Sure, social media seems fun, but just ask any rich person: the Internet has a dark side. Former Minnesota Philharmonic Orchestra conductor James Touchi-Peters knows first-hand that for people who need an online space to complain about their sommelier’s gout or an unruly fiefdom, the struggle is real—but Netropolitan will change all that.
As the world’s first social networking site solely designed for the rich and out-of-touch, Netropolitan bills itself as an “online country club” catering to people with “more money than time […] seeking a place to talk about fine wine, fancy cars and lucrative business decisions without judgment.” But discussing feline cosmetic surgery or fox hunting without being judged by veritable streetrats comes with a price: Netropolitan is a whopping $9000 dollars to join and $3000 dollars for the first year of membership.
Messaging specialist Michelle Lawless told RT that in spite of Netropolitan’s fees, many Internet users appear eager to join the online elite; she declined to give current membership numbers but claimed overwhelming traffic crashed the site during its Tuesday launch. Once the network is more established, Netropolitan’s rules state that members will be held more accountable for their behavior online than, say, the paupers on Facebook (eww): “All members of Netropolitan must use their real names, and must be truthful about their cities of residence and their background.”
Touchi-Peters claims he envisions Netropolitan as a safe space for the rich but repressed:
I saw a need for an environment where you could talk about the finer things in life without backlash — an environment where people could share similar likes and experiences […] This is 100 percent real, and I believe there is a need and an audience for this service.[…] Obviously not everyone can afford that, and that’s partly the point.
And as for the haters? “Some news outlets are having a good time poking fun at us, our goals, and how we live. We’re okay with that. That’s what the public internet is all about.”
LOL, the “public Internet.” Touché, Touchi-Peters. Touché. *lights match, stares yearningly at monitor, shivers then logs into Instagram.*
(via Geekologie, photo from Netropolitan.info)
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