SocBETAOur Promise
My friends and family mean everything to me and yet are scattered everywhere.
I grew up in the Midwest, went to school on both coasts, and lived abroad for a while. For years, Instagram and Snapchat helped close some of that distance. They gave me a way to remain part of my friends’ lives, even when I couldn’t be there.
Over time, that changed.
Imagine sitting down for coffee with a friend you haven’t seen in a year. Just as they begin telling you what has happened in their life, a stranger pulls up a chair and tries to sell you something. Then another does it. And another. Eventually, you hear more from them than you do from your friend.
That would feel absurd in real life. Online, we have somehow come to accept it.
But the cost is greater than the interruption itself. Social media companies became extraordinarily good at keeping us watching and increasingly bad at helping us feel close to the people we care about. Our friends became one category of content among many, mixed with advertisements, influencers, suggested posts, clickbait, and whatever else might hold our attention for another few seconds. I started Soc because I don’t want that to be our future.
Soc is made for you and your friends, with nothing in between. There are no advertisements, bots or follower counts.
Soc costs $20 a month because every social app must work for someone. When advertisers pay the bills, the product must ultimately work for advertisers. We would rather work for you.
So here is our promise:
- We will never show you an ad.
- We will never tolerate bad behavior because it keeps people hooked.
- We will never turn friendship into a metrics contest.
- We will build for your relationships, not for time we can keep you looking at a screen.
The product will evolve. These promises will not.
Jesse Maloney
Founder, Soc
If that sounds like a place for you and your friends, join the list. Beta opens late October.