It is intended as a trusted, European alternative to social media platforms awash with fakes and toxicity – it had 50,000 users signed up before launch with 19% from the US
The European social media platform eYou has officially launched to the public. It fact-checks posts in real time and 50,000 users had signed up for it since March, suggesting an appetite for a different approach to social media: eYou is positioned as a European alternative to global social networks, with transparent algorithms and user-controlled feeds. The plan is to rebuild trust in online conversations, replacing poisonous cancel cultures and misinformation.
Early Believers on iOS and Android
The platform is available across iOS and Android, with early adopters retaining their Early Believer status, recognising their role as founding members of the community. Most are based in Romania, where the two French cofounders are based, Jasseem Allybokus and Grégoire Vigroux, but the platform is open to users globally via https://eyou.social/
However among the Early Believers, the US has emerged as the second-largest market, making up 19% of the userbase, followed by Sweden.
In late 2025, eYou conducted a survey of 350 social network users in which 67% of respondents voiced concern that existing platforms are governed by US or Chinese laws. The survey also found that 89% of social media users encounter disinformation on social media, while 77% feel manipulated by the content they see on social media.
Dangers of echo chambers
A further 76% believe algorithms trap them in echo chambers – what Eli Pariser calls “filter bubbles” in his book, The Filter Bubble: What the Internet is Hiding From You, which is eye-popping and it’s shocking how long ago he wrote it – 2011 – see here to watch a video of Pariser speaking at LSE in London or his TED talk is here). The concern about echo chambers highlights how these platforms shape public discourse. Almost 63% believe social media quality is ‘getting worse’ – a widely perceived trend, which Cory Doctorow calls “enshittification” in his best-selling book.
Other survey findings include:
- 85% say platforms prioritise profit maximisation over users’ wellbeing
- 75% say platforms prioritise addictiveness over users’ wellbeing
- 97% say platforms don’t prioritise truth or accuracy
- 59% don’t believe their data is safe on the platforms they use
- 27% described themselves as ‘addicted’ to social media, with 13% spending more than 4 hours per day on social media, and 47% spending one to two hours per day.
Respondents reported using a range of platforms on at least a monthly basis, with over 80% active on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and a majority also using TikTok and X. This highlights that users are increasingly active across multiple platforms.
Grégoire Vigroux, co-founder of eYou, said, “People don’t trust what they see online anymore. Social media has become an essential part of how we live and understand the world, but users feel manipulated and misinformed and our research shows that people want change. Social media is entering a new generation – one that isn’t about capturing attention at all costs, but about trust, transparency and giving control back to the user.”
