Instagram Founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger are launching Artifact, a new "social" app.
I put "social" in quotations because the app is described as "A personalized news feed driven by artificial intelligence."
😒
There's nothing social about this.
Tech media is going to hype this big time, and I hope we all have the good sense to kick this to the curb -- just like we did with NFTs.
Profound yuck!
Link to their official site: https://artifact.news/
Here's a screenshot.
This is the same textbook launch as all the other Big Social apps.
Create a waitlist. Make it an iPhone exclusive. Feed it to high status individuals. Use the Press to drive hype.
Nurture FOMO. Offer UI/UX eye candy. Create a sense like you're one of the cool kids for finally getting access.
It's how Clubhouse was launched. It's how Instagram itself was launched.
Frankly, everything about this app is predictable.
I prefer this narrative:
Much like AOL and Compuserve, Big Social belongs on the dustbin of history.
The whole notion of a walled garden social network where one company controls both APIs and social graph -- that's obsolete.
Asking me to join your Big Social app is like trying to sell me dial-up AOL service.
Chris Trottier
HistoPol (#HP) 🏴 🇺🇸 🏴