Social media is kind of depressing. On one hand, we love knowing what's happening in the lives of others. On the other hand, everyone seems happier, better looking, and more successful than you. We're putting on a facade by posting statuses and writing comments that present the person we want others to think we are, rather than truly expressing ourselves. Yes, social media has facilitated movements and miraculous events, but let's be real. For the most part, none of it matters.
Does this nihilistic logic bum you out? Good. Dan Kurtz, the creator of a new app for iOS — Binky — would agree. He's created an app that solves this problem by taking the social out of social media.
As described in the App Store, Binky is intended to provide all of the fun of social media without even an ounce of reality.
Binky is the most stress-free social media app ever! Think about all those times when you want to scroll through a feed on your phone, but you don't want to read depressing news articles or see photos from people who seem happier than you. Binky gives you the incessant micro-thrills of scrolling through stuff, never knowing what's coming next, without all the hassle.
On Binky, your news feed is filled with posts called Binks that are literally just pictures with captions naming what's displayed. I'm not kidding.
As your scroll down your feed, you can like a Bink by clicking on the star found on its bottom left-hand side. Once you like it, you're treated to an eruption of purple stars. Oh, and likes on Binky are completely arbitrary and mean absolutely nothing. There's no indicator of how many stars a Bink has received.
Do you like Tinder? Well, for no reason at all you can swipe left or right on a Bink. Swiping left means you dislike it, and swiping right means — shocker — that you do like it! If that's not enough, you can also leave comments on a Bink by selecting the messaging icon at the bottom of Binks.
Comments are like everything else on Binky, and — you guessed it — mean nothing. You can type all you want, but nothing you write will show up. Instead, pre-written messages pop up. For each press of a button, a pre-selected word or emoji pops up. Of course, this isn't a real social media site, so the only comments you can see are your own.
If liking, swiping, and commenting aren't enough for you, you can also re-bink a Bink. This mimics a sharing feature. What does it do? I'll let the popup in this picture tell you.
While this app doesn't offer a lot of engaging content or exceptional features, it's not intended to. Binky provides a hilarious and surprisingly poignant commentary on the pointlessness of social media. Call it a waste of time or call it art, but there's no denying that this app is unique.
If you want the app, it can only be found in the App Store for free. Sorry Android users, looks like you can't Bink just yet.
Just updated your iPhone to iOS 18? You'll find a ton of hot new features for some of your most-used Apple apps. Dive in and see for yourself:
Screenshots by Sarah Tseggay/Gadget Hacks
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