Internet Reacts to New Social Media Network: ‘Bleakest Thing Ever’

A new social media app has hit the scene, and while some are excited by the prospect of the artificial intelligence-driven platform, it's left the much of the internet feeling "depressed" by its development.

Michael Sayman, a developer who previously worked on Facebook, Instagram, Google and Roblox, announced his newest project via X earlier this week: a "consumer app" that serves as "a private social network where you receive millions of AI-generated comments offering feedback, advice & reflections on each post you make" after he spent "years" waiting for the "tech [to] finally caught up to [his] vision."

The tech expert says it "showcases what’s possible with tech" while "help[ing] people in a real, tangible way" by allowing them to "feel heard, and to give them a space for reflection, support, and feedback that acts like a close-knit community."

Some users felt like it was "a really cool idea," with one having fun with the responses despite the fact that they "don't feel like real people," but many found it "depressing" to see so many people excited by the prospect of a social media platform completely lacking in the social aspect of those that have come before.

"This is the bleakest thing I’ve ever read," one person wrote alongside a screenshot of the announcement, describing it as a "fake, private social media network where every person is just an AI responding."

"Might as well fill a bar with...mannequins and call it a party," he suggested.

Many found it hard to believe, with one response questioning, "This is satire surely?"

Others pointed out that X, formerly Twitter, has basically become exactly that.

"Isn't that this place?" one questioned, while another replied, "I mean if I wanted to post something that only AI responds to I'd still be on Twitter oh wait I am."

"What is it you think you're currently posting on," another quipped.

Someone else compared it to a real-life version of I Am Legend, joking that Sayman must have seen the film and thought, "this is an [sic] utopia."

"It's so black mirror," another compared.

"I'm a card-carrying introvert, and even this is too far down the asocial rabbit hole for me," another comment read, while someone else simply noted, "Omg this is so depressing."

Next, 'I Never Realized How Much I Mindlessly Scroll Until I Deleted My Social Media Apps for Two Weeks'