In a world where instant gratification is the norm, a new social media app is challenging the status quo. Roost, a platform that allows users to send messages at the speed of real birds, has taken the tech community by storm.
The concept may seem absurd at first, but it’s actually quite brilliant. By incorporating the natural world into our digital lives, Roost encourages users to slow down and be more mindful in their online interactions.
We spoke with Logan Mendelsohn, the creator of Roost, who revealed that he started building the app as a fun side project with his friends. However, it quickly gained traction, and now has over 300,000 users.
So, how does it work? When you sign up for Roost, you choose four birds to add to your rookery, which allows you to send messages to your friends on the app. Each bird moves at the speed that it travels in real life, so a falcon will deliver a message much faster than a hummingbird.
But don’t worry, if you really want to slow things down, you can send snails or turtles instead. Roost’s unique approach has resonated with users, who are embracing technology that adds friction.
The app developed a small niche following, but it started to grow exponentially when a mother posted on Threads about how her daughter was communicating with her friends in Elizabethan English on an app that sends messages at the speed of actual birds.
Within three days after that post, the app grew from 10,000 to 100,000 users. Now, about five weeks later, Roost is about to hit 300,000 users. Mendelsohn attributes the app’s success to its wholesome and whimsical nature, which helps users put more intention into what they’re saying to people.
As a trust and safety professional by day, Mendelsohn knows that any social platform — even his innocent bird app — has the potential to be abused. So, by default, only a user’s city is shared with their friends. You can choose to manually enable a “close friends” feature to share your precise location with specific people.
Mendelsohn also prioritized trust and safety when creating the “Pen Pals” feature, which allows you to exchange messages with anonymous users in your age group. When onboarding onto the feature, you are explicitly warned not to give out your actual contact information or personal details.
The app deliberately does not support photo sharing yet, as Mendelsohn wants to build out more sophisticated content moderation tools first. Given the sheer size and scope of Roost — did we mention there are mini games? — it doesn’t come as a surprise that Mendelsohn has used Claude Code throughout its development.
However, Mendelsohn recently faced an onslaught of complaints from people who were disappointed to learn that he used AI-generated art for the images of birds. To address users’ concerns, he’s now running a contest that will allow artists to contribute art instead.
Roost’s success is not just about its unique features; it’s also about the community that has formed around it. Users are sharing their experiences and tips on how to use the app effectively, creating a sense of camaraderie that’s hard to find in other social media platforms.
As Roost continues to grow, it will be interesting to see how Mendelsohn addresses the challenges that come with scaling a platform. But for now, it’s clear that Roost is something special — a social media app that’s redefining what it means to connect with others online.
Source: Original article