Edmonton has always been a city of innovation and creativity. Home to many talented individuals, the city has been at the forefront of numerous technological advancements. It was in Edmonton that Canada’s first social network, Nexopia, was born. In this article, we explore the history of Nexopia, its rise and decline, and what has become of it today. More at iedmonton.net.
The Creation of Nexopia
Nexopia was a Canadian social network launched in 2003 by Edmonton teenager Timo Ewalds. At the time, Ewalds was 18 years old, living with his parents. He sold the website in 2008 and later pursued a career as a software engineer at Spotify.
Nexopia’s first office was none other than Ewalds’ family home, where a small but dedicated team worked on developing the platform. As the network grew, the team moved to an office on Rice Howard Way. The staff, all in their early 20s, worked under the guidance of Timo’s mother, the only adult actively involved in the operation.
Nexopia quickly became Western Canada’s first successful social network. It evolved from an earlier online community called Enternexus.com, which initially had only 70 users. After rebranding as Nexopia.com, the platform’s user base skyrocketed to 225,000 members.
By 2008, Nexopia boasted 1.2 million active users and generated 1 billion monthly page views. However, with the rise of Facebook, Nexopia’s popularity began to decline.
The platform was particularly popular among junior high and high school students in Western Canada. It served as a virtual extension of school life, where teens socialized, gossiped, and sometimes bullied each other. This led to widespread criticism of the platform.
How Nexopia Worked
Nexopia allowed users to create profiles, post articles, write blogs, and share photo galleries. Communication happened through messaging systems, and public interaction took place via comments on blogs and forum discussions. Essentially, Nexopia was a full-fledged social network long before Facebook.
Forums were the heart of the platform. Any Nexopia user could create a forum, choosing between public or invite-only access. Strict content moderation policies were in place—photos depicting nudity, violence, or racism were strictly prohibited. However, images featuring small amounts of marijuana or alcohol were allowed. All user-uploaded photos were reviewed by moderators, and copyright violations were closely monitored.
In 2007, controversy struck when a group of Alberta high school students were expelled for using Nexopia to tarnish their teachers’ reputations. They created fake teacher profiles and posted offensive and humiliating content about school staff.
At its peak, over 95% of Nexopia’s user base was Canadian.
Controversy and Criticism
Despite its popularity, Nexopia faced significant criticism, particularly from concerned parents. The platform was frequently misused, with scammers exploiting personal data and even issuing threats to teenagers.
Over time, spam became a serious issue, including spam links to adult content websites.
In March 2012, Nexopia came under fire for violating Canadian privacy laws. The platform stored user data indefinitely, refusing to allow users to delete their information. The company had to take significant steps to comply with privacy regulations. Lawyer Janet Lo, who worked on the case, described the investigation as “a major step forward in protecting youth privacy online.”
Between 2004 and 2008, both parents and law enforcement recognized the potential dangers of Nexopia. The Alberta police began collaborating with the platform’s administrators to track down online predators. This led to the conviction of a 28-year-old Edmonton resident who used Nexopia to lure underage girls into meeting him for sex.
What Happened to Nexopia?
Today, Nexopia still has a small community of teenage users in Alberta and British Columbia. Teens continue using it in much the same way they did in 2004—chatting, teasing, forming friendships, and even dating.
After Ewalds sold the website in 2008, Nexopia changed ownership multiple times. It remains unclear who owns it today. The site lacks any official contact details, and interview requests sent to moderators have gone unanswered.
For teenagers, Nexopia remains a rare online space free from parental oversight. It offers them a sense of independence, allowing them to interact without adult supervision. However, this lack of oversight also presents risks.
Nexopia was Western Canada’s first social network and was hugely popular throughout the 2000s. It provided a unique digital space where Canadian teens could freely express themselves. However, poor moderation, privacy concerns, and security issues ultimately made the platform unsafe for many young users.
Despite its flaws, Nexopia serves as an important chapter in the evolution of the internet and social networking. It remains a fascinating case study of how online communities were built before the dominance of global social media giants like Facebook.