#Free and the 'Pro-Outside' #App Revolution
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| techcrunch.com |
The power the internet has granted us to keep in touch with people even if they are thousands of miles away (or even in space) is impossible to undervalue, but with the advent of smartphone technology and increasing connectivity allowing us to carry all of our online profiles in our pocket, developers are now looking for more inventive ways to enhance the social experience, rather than take it online. Free is the latest app to follow this maxim.
Essentially, users can send out notifications about where they're going and when and then find out who else is around. Some people might be up for it, some might be on the fence and some might be unavailable, and all that information will be readily available. On top of that you can add a location, time frame and tag whichever friends are either also involved or might be interested. You can also like other people's posts, respond to them or send stickers. The updates only stay on the feed for as long as they're relevant, so you don't get a big backlog of expired information. You can also delete or edit your plans if they change.
It's an elegant system, even if it is a bit inundated with push notifications in its current guise. The issue with things like this on other social media platforms is that they are geared towards telling everyone where you are when you're already there, which is pretty useless if you're trying to rally the troops. Nobody wants to meet somebody for a drink when they've already been at the bar for an hour. Free also encourages people to respond regardless of whether or not they can make it, since even a 'sorry I'm washing my hair' is better than silence.
Announcing plans is definitely an area that can be improved by social media, sending out that cursory group text message asking if anyone's around can be a really grueling practice and a breeding ground for social anxiety, but if everyone was doing it, as well as putting the word out when they have specific plans could well make the whole process less daunting. The structure is very similar to another promising app, Whoop World, but that's more aimed at helping people find out what's going on in a specific part of the world.
In either case, it's very gratifying to see app developers working to stem the tide of social media becoming the enemy of actual social interaction, Facebook is so geared towards the retrospective that scrolling through your news feed feels like wandering around a crowded room getting snippets of conversations about things that come with the disclaimer 'you had to be there'. You can download Free on iOS now.
Callum Davies
Callum is a film school graduate who is now making a name for himself as a journalist and content writer. His vices include flat whites and 90s hip-hop. Follow him @CallumAtSMF
#Free and the 'Pro-Outside' #App Revolution
Reviewed by Unknown
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Saturday, June 13, 2015
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Reviewed by Unknown
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Saturday, June 13, 2015
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Unknown
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