It seems as though social media changes on a daily basis, with new sites and applications popping up so frequently it could make your head spin. The issue that bears constantly in mind is the idea that, while it is called “Social Networking,” there is very little social benefit to using these sites. When is the last time you actually made a new and tangible connection on a social networking site? There are plenty of dating apps out there, but this can still seem taboo in many people’s minds, and the risk of meeting a random partner doesn’t bode well with many users. It seems social media keeps us away from actual social interaction, and keeps us behind our computers more often than not.
Let’s take a look at the social media juggernaut that is Facebook. While a great platform for reconnecting with old friends and keeping up to date with current ones, there are little to no options for reaching out to new people and building new relationships. There is, of course, the infamous “Events” feature on Facebook, which most people promptly ignore as spam.
Now let’s break Facebook down; you have sites that take Facebook’s core features and offer something exclusive. Twitter, for example, takes Facebook’s status updates and spins it into their own medium. While Twitter is an effective tool for promotion, news, and new media, again, there is no way to make a real world connection with someone. Moving forward, you have apps like Instagram and SnapChat, which take the picture sharing feature from Facebook and create something unique.
Unfortunately, these apps become popularity contests and options for actually meeting with someone are extremely limited. This is not to say that these sites don’t hold a true value in today’s social media market, they do. The issue is, we’re so consumed by them that we lose sight of why we’re even using them.
It’s actually gotten to the point where social interaction has become awkward for many people, especially the Millennial generation. There was a time one could walk into a bar, walk up to someone, and start a conversation. Now, you walk into a bar, see groups or cliques of people all staring at their phones or taking pictures of one another and posting them on various sites.
It has become increasingly rare to actually have an intelligent and engaging conversation with someone in a public place. This is detrimental to society and negates what our human minds desire, connection to other human minds. As humans we crave social interaction, which is arguably the reason why social media has created this paradox in society. We want to be connected, but by being constantly wired to our computers, cell phones, and tablets we actually DISCONNECT in a rather unsettling way.
This brings to mind the final issue I’d like to discuss. How many times have you logged onto Facebook and asked your network, “What’s going on tonight?” If you, yourself, haven’t posted a status of this nature, I’m certain you’ve at least seen someone else bring this up on your news feed. There are a few issues with this type of post.
The main issue being that very few people take this breed of post seriously. This is because social media has cultivated a psychology that we all have a lot going on. Why break this facade by admitting we too have nothing to do on a saturday night? This leaves everyone reading the post, as well as the original author, alone.
This is where Rally comes into play.
Rally aims to change the face of social networking and reconnect people by incentivizing meeting new friends. Rather than spin off of the broadcasting features of other social networking sites, Rally aims to perfect the inherently flawed “Events” feature.
Imagine you are a freshman in college in a new state you’ve never lived in, feeling overwhelmed by all the new people and places. How can you make new friends in today’s technological age without feeling awkward or coming off as overbearing? You can use the application to start or join a “Rally” where you have the promise of easily meeting new people in a comfortable setting. Three hours before the Rally begins users are logged into a secure chat-room where they can speak to fellow “Rallyers” and break the ice to divert some of the initial anxiety that comes along with meeting new people.
Once users arrive at the Rally they scan a QR Code at the door which earns them a discount and some “Rally Points,” which accumulate to earn them various rewards.
Rally is currently holding a crowdfunding campaign which continues to gain traction each and every day. They are offering myriad rewards in return for contributing to their campaign. For as little as $5, donors receive a wristband and are featured as a contributor on the final version of the site. If you’d like to support this revolutionary application visit http://www.fundable.com/rally and share with your friends.
Get out from behind your computer… It’s time for the world to Rally.