Is Somewhere Good the Future of Social Media?

I don’t think that we’re meant to navigate our lives solo. That is a narrative that Western culture, specifically when it’s at the intersection of capitalism, really loves to hold — the narrative of hyperindividuality.

“Everything worthwhile is done with other people.” I really stand by that. One of the bravest and most revolutionary things we can do is care for one another.

We wanted to explore what it would look like if we created a social-media platform that moves against hierarchy and making people into brands. What care and safety mean when creating online connections that feel more tender and meaningful and not so transactional and extractive. And we’re thinking about citation, ensuring that creators and people o... See more

In order for the internet to be a tool that brought a sense of learning and joy, I had to hack it in a way that would allow for that multiplicity. That’s how I approach being online right now.

Platforms like Twitter and Facebook run on users’ feelings of inadequacy and loneliness, providing an endless, scrolling loop of aspiration, virtue signaling, and doom.

We believe Somewhere Good can support people in connecting with more intention and tenderness, and the ways that we can encourage people to learn, archive, and connect to one another as sources of knowledge.

What would it look like to have an online platform that is about meaningful connection, that is also about putting marginalized people first and not treating them as an afterthought?

We're also thinking about what the potentials are in an online platform that is thinking about IRL connection as well.

In one of our early tests, we had a “weekend mode.” That meant that the app was not available on the weekend, and instead there was a screen that told users “we are not here. Enjoy your experience outside of this app.”