What comes after social networking? Why, a social revolution, of course! That’s what Unthink wants you to, well, think anyway. Unthink.com is a new startup that aims to do what so many other startups have failed at doing – relieving Facebook of its 800 million users. This startup has ambition and a lot of guts, but will current Facebook users be tempted to give up that cherished white and blue profile page for something so radical?

Unthink aims to provide users with complete control over profile information, likes, and other personal details. Currently, Facebook sells these details to advertisers, and there’s even been some complaints that Facebook sells personal details to banks and other financial institutions as well. Unthink was created by a mother who wanted to protect her son’s personal details, but Unthink isn’t exempt from collecting advertising dollars. Instead, this “social revolution” site allows users to select from a list of advertisers.

How Unthink Works

Even the most radical people feel some affinity with certain brands. If you’re not big on billion dollar brands such as McDonald’s or Nike, you may be dedicated to smaller brands such as Tom’s of Maine or some other local outfit. Regardless, there is some brand out there that you can connect with, that you like to support, and that you want others to know about. This is the notion behind Unthink.

Each Unthink user can choose an advertiser that they wish to sponsor. Sponsorship will come in the form of chosen ads displayed on a user’s Unthink page. If you’re really anti-advertising, you can choose to pay for an Unthink account ($3 per year). Otherwise, you’ll have to endure the ads that show up on your page – remember, you’ll get to choose from a list of companies that you want to sponsor.

A Novel Idea

Users won’t see a cent of advertising dollars, but this reviewer is wondering if certain advertisers have access to user information. For example, if I choose to support a local organic farm, will this farm know who I am? If so, this might be a great opportunity for me to gain exposure, a new gig, or some extra work from this company. Unthink may also provide a way for smaller companies to advertise – and target a very specific market.

Just think: if you own a company and you advertise on Unthink, you can find out exactly who is interested in your brand or products. You’ll know if you ware targeting the right group and whether or not your products are branded properly. Sure, Unthink protects individual information by allowing users to have complete control, but this site also provides quite an advertising advantage for companies as well. One has to wonder though, shouldn’t users get a slice of the advertising dollar pie for supporting and letting the world know about a company? Let’s chalk this one up to free advertising.

If Unthink interests you, take a moment to visit the Unthink website. The site is still in beta form, and quite slow at the moment, but I expect it to pick up soon. Will Unthink succeed in stealing all of Facebook’s users? Doubtful; but it’s still an interesting notion.