Around 70% of individuals globally feel hesitant to place trust in anyone who holds different values or relies on alternative information sources. A majority believe this division runs deep enough that people actively work against one another. This skepticism is especially obvious in the comment sections of social media posts discussing controversial opinions and topics.
Those insights stem from the 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer, which surveyed nearly 34,000 participants across 28 countries. Researchers found that this wariness remained consistent regardless of age, income bracket, or whether respondents lived in developed or developing economies.
This identical climate of distrust pervades the platforms people turn to most frequently for news. According to the Reuters Institute, social and video networks have become the primary avenues for consuming online news. Yet, mere fractions—only 22% of individuals—place their trust in news discovered on social media.
To combat this, Geo—a knowledge network established by Yaniv Tal, co-founder of The Graph—released Geo Debates on September 22. The application places two opponents together on screen, utilizing the exact short-form vertical video format popularized by modern social feeds.
Geo Debates Hands Each Side a Clock and Mutes the Other Mic
Every debate revolves around a single claim, and participants must officially state their position before the app pairs them up. Geo specifically matches each user with someone holding the opposing viewpoint.
The participants engage in a video argument consisting of timed, alternating segments. While one individual talks, the platform automatically cuts off the other person’s microphone, eliminating any possibility of speaking over one another.
Subsequently, Geo merges both video files into a single, subtitled split-screen recording and shares it on a vertical content feed. Audience members then vote on which participant delivered the more convincing argument, and they can expand any claim to review its supporting evidence. Although claims receive tags designating them as either facts or opinions, the platform refrains from determining which statements are objectively true.
This short-form video structure aligns naturally with current media consumption habits. Data from the Reuters Institute reveals that 77% of individuals watch online news videos on a weekly basis, with TikTok viewers heavily favoring clips under two minutes.
Initial debates address topics spanning cryptocurrency, financial markets, artificial intelligence, politics, and culture—including debates over whether Bitcoin (BTC) surpasses gold as a reliable store of value. Tal connects this design back to historical traditions of scientific inquiry and democratic discourse.
“In order to get closer to the truth, we have to be able to examine issues from different sides. Democracies have a rich tradition of debate, as does the scientific community. Any institution that seeks to find truth or alignment requires healthy debate, and I think we need to bring this into the internet age,” said Yaniv Tal.
Geo Files Each Claim in a Knowledge Graph With Web3 Roots
Once a debate concludes, Geo isolates the individual claims made by each speaker and logs them under their respective profiles. Other community members can then select these recorded claims and challenge them directly.
Geo envisions its network as a structured knowledge repository designed for both humans and artificial intelligence, with all underlying sources fully transparent. Much of this sourcing relies on the community; Geo’s website encourages visitors to act as curators by appending relevant sources and context.
The platform’s underlying knowledge graph highlights its Web3 foundations. Blog posts from The Graph identify Geo as a core developer of the protocol. Additionally, Geo’s prior application, Geo Genesis, utilized The Graph’s GRC-20 standard for decentralized knowledge graphs to publish information onchain, though Geo has not confirmed whether debate claims are recorded onchain in the exact same manner.
Tal points to the widespread misinformation surrounding the 2016 US presidential election and the polarized public discourse during the COVID-19 pandemic as major catalysts for the project.
A Crowd Vote Can Crown the Better Performer
Audience votes indicate who viewers believe presented the more persuasive argument, which leaves room for a charismatic speaker to triumph despite relying on weaker evidence.
Findings from the Reuters Institute indicate that audiences already differentiate between entertainment value and trustworthiness when evaluating content creators. Consumers frequently view creators as more entertaining and relatable than traditional media outlets, yet consider them less impartial and trustworthy. Consequently, voting systems focused on delivery may reward entertainment over factual rigor.
Recent investigations also show that format design plays a critical role. A 2024 study paired 582 British voters from the Labour and Conservative parties for unmoderated, 10-minute conversations.
While participants showed increased empathy toward opposing viewpoints afterward, this shift occurred primarily when the pairs discovered common ground or shared agreements. Where participants remained strictly in disagreement, empathy did not improve, and across the entire sample, the chats failed to alter political opinions.
Because Geo exclusively pairs users who disagree with one another, it targets the exact condition where empathetic breakthroughs are least common. Even so, the study noted that a willingness to engage across ideological lines increased among disagreeing pairs and persisted for two to three weeks.
By contrast, X’s Community Notes feature manages crowd-sourced evaluation through a different framework, publishing a note publicly only after contributors representing diverse perspectives rate it as helpful. Geo has not clarified whether its voting mechanics account for the political leanings of the viewers casting ballots.
Furthermore, each debate requires two individuals willing to defend their positions on camera, alongside curators dedicated to supplying proper sources. This demand conflicts with a broader trend identified by the Reuters Institute, which shows that a shrinking percentage of users post original content on social media, with the vast majority preferring to lurk and scroll.
There is also the possibility that split-screen debate clips could be edited down to highlight only a single perspective once they are shared outside of Geo. Tal engineered the application to ensure that these discussions outlive the standard content feed, but first, Geo must successfully convince users to pause their scrolling and step in front of the camera.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Geo Debates?
Geo Debates is a short-form vertical video application launched on September 22 by Geo, a knowledge network founded by The Graph co-founder Yaniv Tal. The app pairs two users with opposing viewpoints on a specific claim to argue in timed, alternating video turns.
How does the app prevent participants from talking over each other?
During a Geo debate, each side is given a set clock, and the opposing speaker’s microphone is automatically muted while the other person has the floor.
How are claims handled after a debate ends?
Geo extracts each speaker’s claims, logs them under their name in a knowledge network, and allows other users to challenge them. Viewers can also vote on who made the stronger case and inspect the sources attached to each claim.
What are the Web3 origins of the platform?
Geo is developed by core contributors associated with The Graph. An earlier application, Geo Genesis, utilized The Graph’s GRC-20 standard for decentralized knowledge graphs to publish information onchain.
What challenges does the app face regarding user participation?
The app relies on finding individuals willing to debate on camera and community members to curate sources. This requirement runs counter to current social media trends noted by the Reuters Institute, where most users prefer passively scrolling over actively posting.
