There's an Ayn Rand-Themed Social Network, No Moochers Allowed

Firebrand libertarianism usually seems to inspire people to try to move further off the grid as opposed to deeper into it, but some Ayne Rand acolytes are taking a stab at a new approach: social media. And yes, digital currency is involved.

Galt.io, named after the iconic character John Galt from Ayn Rand's novel Atlas Shrugged, is the passion project of conservative talk show host Jason Lewis. He describes it on his website as a sort of anti-MoveOn.org, an antidote to modern "small government groups" always being "out-organized by the left at every level."

The grievances Lewis lists on the site are common ones: politicians in Washington and beyond "celebrate mediocrity, forced charity, and out of control big government." But rather than simply advocate for "starving the beast" by separating oneself from the state literally, he's trying to find a digital solution that encourages others to unite to rally against things like alcohol regulation or new taxes.

"Retiring early or quitting your job isn't possible for most people," Lewis said in a video promoting the network. "Even getting up and moving to a low tax state is problematic for the majority of Americans. So rather than retreating to a secret valley in the mountains, what if you could organize for freedom and starve the beast without opting out of the neighborhood?"

To start, Lewis is emphasizing that the network is exclusive—in order to gain full membership, you have to be invited by an existing member. Once you're in, however, you can start organizing around any number of different causes. And it's even gamified—once users start tinkering with the site, they earn "galt coins," which function as a virtual currency to give members a new kind of social capital.

As far as conservative pundits go, Lewis certainly doesn't have the reach of someone like Rush Limbaugh or Bill O'Reilly, so it's hard to tell how serious something like Galt.io actually is. And as he admits in his pitch, small government types probably aren't the most avid social media users, so forming an exclusive network around them is an uphill battle from the beginning.

But it doesn't look like he's had a hard time gathering support so far: The crowdfunding campaign Lewis launched already accumulated $590,625—more than double the original funding goal. Digital libertarians, in other words, are already well on their way to forming an online version of Galt's Gulch. Needless to say, no moochers allowed.