Bond Is a New Social Media App That Encourages You to Get Offline

The creators of a new social media app called Bond want you to stop doomscrolling and to create bonds… in person.

Bond, which launched on Tuesday, was created by a team of developers who previously worked for platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. The Bond app is currently available for iOS. 

Co-founder and CEO Dino Becirovic said that the app is designed to encourage you to interact with your friends rather than passively consume social content or make posts for the algorithm. 

“We use a ‘friending’ model and remove feeds to eliminate performative behavior and give you psychological safety,” Becirovic told CNET. 

Bond uses the photos, videos and audio files you upload to help generate real-life interactive ideas that interest you through its AI function. The more memories you share with Bond, the more tailored its activity suggestions will be. For example, if you recently attended a Bruno Mars concert and shared a picture on your Bond account, it might recommend similar or upcoming concerts in your area. 

Like other social media platforms, you can share life updates and add friends, except there aren’t follower counts or a feed you scroll through. Bond’s website says the idea is to share memories “for yourself first” and to “post for your friends second.” You can revisit your memories whenever you want, unless you delete them. 

Read more: Kids, Social Media and Safety: Why a Years-Long Battle Has No End in Sight

Becirovic told CNET that the company doesn’t sell content or personal information to third parties without the user’s permission. “Bond is designed to give users ownership over their data, full control over their profile and full agency in their decisions,” he said.

The platform won’t have ads, but Becirovic said one potential way it could make money in the future is by allowing users to license their content voluntarily to AI companies seeking training data. Bond could take a portion of that money.

Any content shared on the app is only visible to friends. Users will be able to control what they share and save, and can delete their account and data at any time. 

As more people try to limit their time on social media, some have turned to app-blocking devices such as Brick or to adjusting time limits in the iPhone’s screen time app.