Let’s face it: we’re all a little sick of social media. Twitter lies at the graveyard of relevancy in a spot marked by an X, Reddit is a breeding ground for conspiracy theories, and we’re so over watching our friends clumsily dance to trending earworms on Instagram. Probably because it’s designed to hit us with bursts of dopamine that keep us craving more, social media is apparently as injurious to health as smoking.
But Maven, a new social network quickly gaining a following, promises to be different.
Touted as an antidote to the toxic, narcissistic, and addictive nature of social media, Maven is one of the first popular social networks to eliminate likes and followers. Instead, it’s built with an AI-prompted algorithm that serves up a conveyor belt of interests specific to you. Maven distinguishes itself by claiming to be a “serendipity network,” based on the open-endedness philosophy—a school of thought that advocates for the pursuit of innovation and creativity through random serendipitous discoveries rather than a predetermined path. This approach, pioneered by the platform’s co-founder, AI researcher, and computer scientist Kenneth Stanley, urges us to harness the power of social networks to chance upon these eye-opening perspectives.
Should you join Maven, the social network with no likes and followers?
Maven is also notably backed by OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Twitter co-founder and former CEO Evan Williams, making it a strong contender for the next big thing on the internet. In an age where social networks have become so notorious that experts like U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy are advocating for platforms to come with a warning label, Maven may just be a beacon of hope. It could also lay the groundwork for a social media experience devoid of the dopamine hit, which might actually make it healthy.
While I wouldn’t call myself a social media expert, I’ve been around the block long enough to endure Orkut’s scandalous scrapbook, Facebook’s vitriolic wall, Tumblr’s idealistic dashboard, Twitter’s echo chamber, Reddit’s NSFW rabbit hole, Instagram’s obnoxious dumps, and even BeReal’s awkward selfies. So, of course, I had to take Maven for a spin.
So how do you use Maven?
Available as an app and website, the first thing you do when you sign up on Maven is pick from an unending list of interests to follow. This could be anything from philosophy, critical thinking, and neural networks, to movies, reversible fashion and knitting.
What does the feed look like without any followers?
Maven bypasses the familiarity of followers and an algorithm driven by a popularity contest in favour of a feed flooded with tidbits from any interest you choose to follow. And while these musings are meant to match a user’s interest profile, you’re likely to stumble upon everything from a “Tarotscope” telling you how important it is to set boundaries to a heated discussion about whether the CIA ran a secret psychic program, in the same scroll.
