Whitepaper

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I. Introduction

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Driving the mass adoption of Web3

At RepubliK, we envision a future where Web3 technology empowers individuals to fully realize the benefits of decentralized value exchange and on-chain transparency when using social media. There are only 430 million Web3 users in 2024, but close to 5 billion social media users in the world today. Our primary strategy for driving mass adoption of Web3 is through targeting these social media users, leveraging the unparalleled reach and influence of these platforms to catalyze widespread adoption and usage of Web3 technology.

By integrating decentralized finance (DeFi) principles into how users engage with content creators, RepubliK aims to revolutionize the way people connect, share, and transact value online. Through our platform, users will have the opportunity to not only support creators, but to also earn from their support through the Creator STOX Ecosystem. RepubliK users can also access exclusive content, earn from their interactions and participate in community governance.

Furthermore, our commitment to on-chain transparency ensures that every transaction and interaction on the platform is recorded and verifiable, fostering trust and accountability within the community. Through transparent governance mechanisms, RepubliK empowers users to actively participate in shaping the future of the platform and the broader Web3 ecosystem.

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Current Limitations in using Web2 Social Media

Central to our vision is the belief that social media should be more than just a tool for content consumption and engagement—it should be a gateway to financial empowerment and self-expression. By channeling the benefits of decentralized value exchange, RepubliK will democratize access to economic opportunities, enabling users to monetize their contributions and creativity like never before.

‍Monetization Challenges for Content Creators: While social media platforms offer opportunities for content creators to monetize their content through ads and sponsorships, the competition for visibility and engagement can be intense. Many creators struggle to earn a sustainable income, particularly smaller creators who may not have access to lucrative brand partnerships.‍

Content Quality and Authenticity: To maximize ad revenue, platforms may prioritize content that generates more conversion, often at the expense of the content’s quality and authenticity. This can lead to the proliferation of clickbait, misinformation, and sensationalized content, detracting from the overall user experience.‍

Algorithmic Bias: Algorithms used by social media platforms to personalize content and ads may inadvertently perpetuate bias and discrimination. This can result in echo chambers, where users are only exposed to content that aligns with their existing beliefs and preferences, hindering diverse perspectives and discourse.‍

Lack of Transparency: Ad-based models often lack transparency in how ads are targeted, displayed, and monetized. This can erode user trust and confidence in the platform, especially in the wake of scandals involving ad fraud, data misuse, and algorithmic manipulation.

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Need for a Decentralized Solution: The Case for RepubliK

Monetization Challenges for Content Creators:
RepubliK employs smart contracts to enable seamless transactions within its ecosystem. Users can directly support their favorite creators by accessing exclusive content; tipping; unlocking token-gated chats on the RepubliK App, and trading their Creator STOX on the STOX Market. These STOXs represent a stake in the creator's success and provide users with a tangible means of demonstrating their support.

Content Quality and Authenticity:
Content creators on RepubliK do not need to rely on product sponsorships or ads to earn income, and can earn directly from their audience’s support, content consumption and interactions. 

By having multiple monetization avenues for content creators to earn revenue, they do not need to dilute the authenticity of their content, or skew their narrative to fit a sponsor, creating content that resonates with their audience. 

Decentralized Content Moderation:
Decentralized content moderation on RepubliK ensures that the platform's content governance reflects the collective stance of its diverse communities, rather than being dictated by potentially biased or politically motivated agendas. By empowering a distributed network of Moderators and Ambassadors to participate in the moderation process, RepubliK fosters a more inclusive and transparent environment.

This decentralized approach promotes community-driven content standards, enhancing user trust and engagement. Users feel empowered knowing that content moderation decisions are not made in isolation but are informed by a consensus-driven process. 

Consequently, the introduction of decentralized content moderation is likely to foster a sense of ownership and accountability among users, leading to more active participation and vibrant community dynamics on RepubliK's platform.‍

Content Authenticity:
Moreover, by aligning content moderation with community values, RepubliK minimizes the risk of censorship or arbitrary content restrictions. Instead of imposing top-down directives, the platform adapts to the evolving preferences and priorities of its user base, thereby promoting freedom of expression within established community guidelines.

‍Lack of Transparency:
RepubliK's innovative use of Web3 technology extends beyond monetary transactions. The platform harnesses the power of decentralized networks to provide users with deeper insights into other users' activities. Through transparent and verifiable data records, users can gain a comprehensive understanding of the creators they support, including their engagement levels, content preferences, and community interactions. This transparency fosters trust and authenticity within the RepubliK community, enabling meaningful connections to flourish.

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II. Understanding RepubliK

Core Features and Functionality

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1. Monetization Tools for Creators

Tipping
Users can directly show appreciation for content they love by sending RPK to creators. By enabling tipping, creators can monetise content effortlessly and receive the full benefit of fan support without intermediaries, while retaining their creativity and voice. 

Gated Chats (Pay2Chat) 
Pay2Chat offers an exclusive interaction channel for creators and their fans. Creators can set a fee in RPK for fans to unlock private messaging, providing a unique earning stream. It ensures meaningful, engaged conversations by filtering out casual interactions, allowing creators to prioritize their most dedicated supporters, in turn enhancing the overall engagement experience for supporters. ‍

Paywalled Content (Fan Subscriptions) 
Creators can offer exclusive content for a fee, generating recurring earnings. Fans can subscribe for a monthly fee in RPK to access premium content, such as tutorials, behind-the-scenes footage, and exclusive updates. Creators are encouraged to produce high-quality content consistently, while providing fans with unique, valuable experiences.

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2. Creator STOX

Support Influence
Creator STOX are tokenized representations of a creator's social value within the social media space. Creators issue their STOX through the RepubliK App, so traders and supporters can buy / sell their STOXs with RPK Tokens on Arbitrum exclusively on the STOX Market. 

Creator STOXs completely transforms the relationship between creators and their communities, turning passive followers into active participants in a creators success. By holding STOX obtainable using RPK on the Arbitrum Network, fans gain an economic stake in the creator’s value - forging a community of creators and social media users with aligned interests. As a creator's popularity and influence grow, so too does the value of their STOXs, potentially offering early supporters huge RPK returns on their participation. 

‍Value Stream for STOXs Holders: Sharing Success (Price Boost)
One of the most compelling features of Creator STOX is the value distribution model (Price Boost). 

A portion of the value generated by the creator through monetisation features on the RepubliK Social App (e.g. Fan Subscriptions, Pay2Chat, Tipping) is funneled into a shared RPK pool for allocation to STOX Holders. This ensures that the success of a creator translates into value for those who hold STOX. 

The allocation from the shared value pool is determined by the creator’s STOXs current selling price; those who sell at higher prices receive a smaller share, encouraging long-term holding and loyalty which fosters a dedicated community around each creator.

Value Stream for Creators: Trading Fee Sharing
Trading Creator STOX on RepubliK not only benefits the buyers and sellers but also creates an additional value stream for creators. Every transaction involving STOXs generates an RPK fee shared between the RepubliK platform and the creator. This fee-sharing model ensures that creators are continuously rewarded for the trade activity of their STOX, further motivating them to grow their influence and engage their audience. 

Dynamic Pricing: Reflecting Real Influence
Creator STOX follows a hybrid pricing model that reflects the real-time popularity and activity of the creators. As a creator gains more followers and releases compelling content that drives genuine and meaningful interactions, the demand; number of Holders; and shared RPK pool increases - leading to a rise in the price of the creator’s STOX. The value of a creator’s STOX accurately mirrors the creator's influence and engagement, providing a transparent and fair valuation system.

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3. Decentralised Content Moderation‍

RepubliK has formed a strategic collaboration with Amazon Web Services, deploying AI technologies and services on the RepubliK App to assess content quality, social engagement, and reward creators.

Ensuring Authenticity: A.I. Verified User Authentication‍

Serving as the initial step of RepubliK’s user onboarding process, an AI-driven authentication system conducts a swift liveness check to distinguish genuine human users from potential bots. This verification process both ensures the security of our platform and is a crucial step in ensuring that only authentic human users are eligible for rewards. Upon successful verification, each user’s in-app wallet is activated, serving as the prerequisite for them to start receiving rewards within the RepubliK community.

A.I. Technologies Driving Content Dynamics

Harnessing the advanced capabilities of Amazon Rekognition and Amazon Personalize to govern how content quality is assessed and rewarded - the RepubliK App meticulously analyzes images and videos with precision and the ability to detect genuine human-generated content and animated creations.

Unlike other platforms, RepubliK’s social media space goes beyond traditional paradigms, differentiating itself by focusing on deep user interactions. Instead of relying solely on surface-level metrics such as likes and comments, RepubliK’s algorithms delve into a more nuanced evaluation, generating a richer perspective on a user’s interests and interactions.

Matching Creators with Their Audiences

The use of AI and ML enables RepubliK to create personalized content journeys for users. By matching creators with their target audience, genuine connections are fostered while significantly boosting rewards for creators. The more exposure they get, the quicker and more substantial their rewards become, creating a symbiotic relationship between creators and their audience.This dynamic system empowers RepubliK to recognize authenticity in content creation and reward content creators based on the depth of engagement and the quality of their contributions to the community.

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4. AI-Powered Content Analysis and Rewards

Aside from the use of AI for content recommendations, RepubliK’s approach focuses on evaluating the depth and quality of user interactions, enabling it to assess the depth of interactions in order to determine the quality of the content. XP (Experience Points) are then allocated to each user post-analysis. 

The more a user interacts genuinely, creates well-liked content, and has fun, the more XP they receive. Daily RPK Community Rewards are then distributed based on the XP they have earnt in proportion to the total amount of XP across the platform.

This strategy is designed to enhance the user experience by emphasizing content that promotes quality interactions rather than simply chasing popularity. The AI’s role extends to calculating rewards based on the content’s quality, ensuring a more authentic and meaningful engagement.

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III. Tokenomics

Token Allocation

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The total supply of $RPK is 3,000,000,000, minted on ERC-20. To maintain the total supply of RPK under 3,000,000,000 when issuing $RPK on other chains, we have implemented a balancing reserve mechanism where equivalent tokens issued on chains such as Arbitrum (Mantle and TON still to come) are locked on the ERC-20 Token treasury. You can view the time locked smart contracts here.

a. Platform Allocation

‍The platform allocation is structured to drive the growth of the RepubliK Ecosystem.

All tokens in the platform will either be distributed to the community (through staking incentives or community rewards for interactions) or burned. All fees generated on the RepubliK platform are transferred and used to top up the platform allocation. Staking incentives, community rewards and token burn allocations are determined through community decisions by $RPK holders executed through RepubliK’s governance platform.

Tokens in Allocation: 1,140,000,000 RPK (38% of Total Supply)

Unlock Schedule: 5% Unlock at TGE followed by a 60-month Linear Unlock‍

b. Marketing Allocation

‍Tokens dedicated to marketing, partnerships, and platform growth. These tokens will be used for strategic partnerships, marketing campaigns, community incentives, and other marketing related activities.

Tokens in Allocation: 300,000,000 RPK (10% of Total Supply)

Unlock Schedule: 5% Unlock at TGE followed by a 60-month Linear Unlock

c. Operations Allocation

‍Reserved for operational expenses, development, and ongoing project maintenance. These tokens will fund the project’s day-to-day operations, development, and ensure continuous innovation.

Tokens in Allocation: 600,000,000 RPK (20% of Total Supply)

Unlock Schedule: 5% Unlock at TGE followed by a 60-month Linear Unlock

‍d. Private Sale Allocation

‍Tokens that were allocated to Seed and Pre-seed round investors. RepubliK raised 6M USD from VCs including: OKX Ventures, Fundamental Labs, 6th Man Ventures, Arcane Ventures, CMS Holdings, Comma3 Ventures, Define Ventures, Enjin, FBG Capital, HTX Ventures, Mirana Ventures, Oracles Investment Group, Signum Capital, Sora Ventures, and UOB Venture Management.

Tokens in Allocation: 360,000,000 RPK (12% of Total Supply) (300,000,000 RPK Allocated, 60,000,000 Unallocated)

Unlock Schedule: 15% Unlock at TGE, 36-month Linear Unlock

e. Public Sale Allocation‍

Tokens allocated towards Public Sale

Tokens in Allocation: 150,000,000 RPK (5% of Total Supply)

Unlock Schedule: 100% Unlock at TGE

‍f. Team Allocation

This allocation is designed to reward and retain the core development team and other contributors.

Tokens in Allocation: 450,000,000 RPK (15% of Total Supply)

Unlock Schedule: 5% Unlock at TGE followed by a 60-month Linear Unlock

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IV. Use Cases

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Creators monetizing their social value on RepubliK

Creators on RepubliK have the unique opportunity to monetize their social influence and content in ways that go beyond traditional methods like advertising or sponsorships. By leveraging the platform’s features, creators can turn their social value into tangible value streams. 

• Tipping on the RepubliK App
  Creators can receive tips directly from users using RPK tokens. Fans and supporters can show their appreciation for a creator’s content by sending them RPK, which they can then use within the platform, or convert to other currencies. 

• Pay2Chat on the RepubliK App
  Creators can offer exclusive chat sessions with users who are willing to pay for a more personalized interaction. This feature allows creators to set their own fee and monetize their time spent on DMs, while engaging more deeply with their fans and supporters.

• Subscriptions on the RepubliK App
  Creators can set a monthly subscription fee so users can subscribe to unlock their exclusive content - providing creators with a steady income stream from a more private group of paying supporters.

• ​​True Value Creation
  Creator STOX offers creators a path to passively increasing their value by diversifying their value streams and reducing reliance on ad revenue or platform-specific monetization tools, providing a more scalable and lucrative source of value creation.
  

• Direct Monetisation of Influence
  Creators can directly monetize their influence and content through Creator STOX, representing their social value across all social platforms, not just RepubliK. Unlike traditional platforms where monetization options are limited and often controlled by the platform such as advertisements or sponsored content, STOX gives creators control over their value streams without sacrificing creativity, their voice and tonality. Additionally, Creators can connect their Twitter, TikTok or Instagram accounts to RepubliK and provide potential STOX buyers a comprehensive view of their overall influence, without having to start from scratch in building a completely fresh following on RepubliK.

• Enhanced Engagement
  Creator STOX significantly enhances engagement with their audience. Fans who hold a creator’s STOX are more likely to actively participate in a creator’s community, promote their content, and engage with their social media activities, creating a more vibrant, loyal and ever-growing fan base.

• Support for Future Projects
  In addition to earning from monetizing their content on RepubliK, Creators can earn RPK from fees generated when traders buy or sell their STOX, get support for future projects, expansion, equipment and more from fans who are truly supporters in the creator’s success.

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Traders earning through Creator STOX on the STOX Market

Traders on RepubliK can participate in supercharging social media and the Creator Economy by trading Creator STOX minted by creators — tradable, tokenized representations of a creator's social value, exclusively on the STOX Market dApp.

• Benefit from Supporting Your Favorite Creators
  STOXs are tied to the success of the creators they represent. As a creator's influence and popularity grow, so does the value of their STOX, offering supporters the potential for benefitting from the support they provided their favourite creators.

• Early Adopter’s Advantage
  Supporting Creator STOX during the early stages of a creator's career or their STOX launch can offer significant advantages. Early adopters who support creators at the start of their journey get the largest share of their creators growth and value creation.

• Support the Creator Economy Directly
  Creator STOX offers a novel addition to a crypto holder’s portfolio. They provide an opportunity to participate in the growing creator economy and the SocialFi sector, both of which are rapidly expanding and advancing.

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User rewards for contributions to the platform

Everyone within the RepubliK community is fairly rewarded for their contributions to the platform. This is achieved by incorporating a gamified XP leveling system with AI and machine learning algorithms to identify genuine, engaging users. 

AI analyzes the depth of interactions shared between creators and their audience instead of solely on surface-level metrics such as likes or comments, and XP (Experience Points) are then allocated to each user post-analysis. The more a user interacts genuinely, creates well-liked content, and has fun, the more XP they receive. RPK Tokens in the form of Daily RPK Community Rewards are then distributed based on the XP they have earned in proportion to the total amount of XP across the platform.

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