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I’m tired of new social media. So I built a new social platform where you can only follow people you’ve met IRL
Posted by on March 30, 2026 at 9:54 pmThe core mechanic is simple, you can only connect with someone if you physically meet them. No cold follows. No suggested strangers. Every single connection is someone you actually shook hands with.
To promote IRL meetup I created Junctions… private or public in-person meetups you can create or join, with a social layer built around the people who want to meet. Junctions can be create by users or businesses (businesses get Junction metrics and can track the number of new connections created at the Junction/event).
I just launched it in beta as a web app. If you would like to try it, visit: jungo.base44.app
Genuinely want to know what this community thinks. Do you think there's a real appetite for a social platform that strips out everything that isn't a real human connection? Or is the algorithm-fed feed too ingrained at this point?
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1 Reply
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I think the platforms now will still serve a purpose for media reach and business acquisition, but Jungo would be built on putting human interaction first.
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I love the idea. I really miss the days when social media was centered around people you know IRL.
Getting a piece of that social media market share is going to be a Herculean task in and of itself, but I do think there’s a real desire from folks for real connections (especially with AI making waves in content creation and user trust). A social media platform that focuses on making IRL connections part of the experience could be groundbreaking.
What’s the goal after getting folks to Junctions? What’s the everyday UX look like?
It sounds like the platform is set up to be a sort of “Local Connections” or professional networking site a la Bumble’s BFFs or LinkedIn. Or hell, the Junctions feature even reminds me of Pokemon GO haha. But I see a potential issue in that a lot of my family and best friends live in different states where it’s unlikely I’ll ever be able to add them. I want more human in social media, for sure, but how to overcome relationships across distances?
All in all, very promising idea and I love where your head’s at. I hope my thoughts don’t come across as too critical or negative!
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made my account and claimed my handle for when this thing blows up! secured handle 69 to resell later
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I actually like the focus on real-world interaction. There’s definitely something missing in most social platforms right now where everything happens at a distance.
That said, I think the challenge might be that meeting people isn’t always the hard part. A lot of us have been in rooms full of people and still didn’t feel like we found “our people.”
So I guess the question for me is less “will people meet up” and more “what happens after they meet?” If the platform helps people find others they genuinely click with, that feels really valuable.
Curious how you’re thinking about that part. Once people meet, what’s supposed to make them stick around and actually form ongoing connections?
I respect what you’re trying to do here. It’s a different direction than the usual feed-driven stuff.
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