A new app has been launched in London with the aim of connecting people and taking social offline.
Initially aimed at young people living, studying and working in London, friendrequest is looking to lead the way in facilitating friendship in the capital.
It will address the challenge of forming actual friendships in a world of ‘social’ media by actively encouraging users to spend less time on the app – a first for a platform of its kind.
With over eight million people calling London home, it’s often a misguided assumption that the UK capital is an easy place to make friends.
TimeOut’s 2016 City Index survey revealed it as the loneliest city in the world, with the rise of technology and social media contributing to this isolation by reducing face-to-face interaction whilst preying on user addiction.
This is an issue that friendrequest aims to reverse, starting in London.
Its ‘smart’ profile card is an industry first, with tailored technology that adapts your profile depending on who is viewing it. This showcases your interests that are most closely aligned with that of the browser, helping to match you with those you share a passion with.
The app’s chat function also features automatic ice-breakers and a curated list of activities and experiences with direct booking links – making meeting effortless and pushing users to interact offline.
Speaking on the inspiration behind the app, Co-founder St John Hughes says: “In an ever increasing ‘connected’ online world people can only ever exchange information digitally, whereas what people are actually seeking to do is meet real people, share experiences with them, and enjoy meaningful friendships. Current dominant “social” media is failing to achieve this, and there’s a growing awareness that this is the case”
Co-founder James Murdoch adds: “Platforms for meeting new people for the purposes of friendship had previously not solved the pain-points that are involved in this process. We have researched the problems, tested prototypes, and refined these to create the solution, and are the first to offer a seamless user experience that manages the difficult logistics behind creating friendships”.
Whilst still in its beta stage, friendrequest has already amassed nearly 4,000 downloads, with organic interest demonstrating the demand for an app of this nature amongst its audience.