# Why is the tech interesting?
It serves as a an example of what a modern PWA, progressively enhanced with React Native can offer. The technology combo allowed me to get from zero to live quite quickly (working weekends, for just over 2 months).
The experience on web and mobile is near identical, but on mobile you also get:
- Better camera integration
- Native push notifications
- Contacts integration
- Deep Linking
- Native sign in/sign up
- The feeling of legitimacy you get from "having a real app"
At its core, it's a simple PWA. I've been pleased with how close I could get the PWA to feeling native. This is especially true when viewed on fast mobile device.
The app takes advantage of many modern browser features, including:
- Passkeys
- Service + Web Workers
- Web Crypto
- History API + Pop State Transitions
- Dialogs
- More..
With browsers offering so much built-in functionality, I've found it refreshing to be able to keep my list of packages small (9 items in package.json, including React + ReactDOM).
# Want to try it?
There's a low-friction, no-password, sign-up. The easiest way to kick the tires is to create 2 dummy accounts and add them as friends. Remove the accounts when you're done to have your data disappear (within 14 days). I know having to sign-up is a drag, so appreciate anyone going through trouble!
# What type of app is it?
It's another social media app (bear with me..)
# So what's different about it?
The fundamental shift from the traditional model is: > All content is tied to a connection between two individuals. There's no individual timelines.
# Why is that meaningful?
With the individual timeline model, it's easy to create soap boxes that reward the loudest voices and promote follower gathering. Rather than building a uniformly distributed web, everyone is trying hard to become the "busiest hub". If instead, each item you post is crafted for a real relationship (the edges, not the nodes in our graph), it forces social interactions to scale down and localize. My hope is it can fill a niche as a an alternative to follower gathering directing focus from quantity of interactions back to quality.
# What's the same?
There's a lot of similarities between Dyadim and Instagram, Facebook, and to a lesser degree Flickr and WhatsApp. The packaging may be similar, but I expect the content and nature of interactions to be quite different.
There's no intention for it to conquer any market nor measure its success by # of users. Rather, I'm hoping the idea resonates with a group of people who share the notion that there are some good aspects to social media, that have been buried in the pursuit of scale. Maybe this could be a place to rediscover those.
# Other good (but not unique) parts
- Tight privacy controls (at connection and post level)
- Full control over your data
- No algorithms, tracking or ads
- Web-first experience
It could be an ideal place for:
- A large friend/family group to keep in touch
- Recording a shared history of long enduring friendships
- Exploring a new romantic relationship
It's intentionally crippled such that it is not a suitable place to:
- Promote a business or brand
- Build a mass following
- Go viral
I know it's a turbulent time for social media and it may be absurd to launch something in this space now, especially if that offering is deliberately hamstrung to impede going viral. But if even a few tired souls looking for something new find something to like, I'd be very content! Thank you for taking a look!
# P.S. Why isn't this Open Source?
I fear that allowing Dyadim to organically evolve through open-source/decentralization risks diluting its original vision. For now, I'd like to retain control and see the vision through. If it becomes evident that this vision was completely misguided, I will certainly reconsider.
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