I built a non-algorithmic social network for just my family and friends

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I built a non-algorithmic social network for just my family and friends

For the past month, we’ve been running a small, private social network I built for my closest connections. No AI, no algorithms, no ads — just genuine human interaction. It’s been surprisingly liberating. What it is: A simple platform where my family and friends can share updates, photos, and conversations. Entirely private—you only see content from people you follow. No user search. You can only connect with people you already know in real life. No tracking, no content analysis, no data mining. Zero algorithmic feeds—no engagement-driven optimization. Why we built it: I quit all the traditional social networks last September( https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43310766 ), and found that improved my life significantly. With one caveat - I often felt disconnected from my family and close friends. So I wanted to bring back just that much - an unfiltered non-greed-driven space. Technical implementation: Nothing fancy—just a basic CRUD application with: User authentication, Text and Photo uploads (stored on Cloudflare), Chronological feed and comment threads, minimal infrastructure (Google App Engine + Vercel) Simplicity is the point. What I’ve learned: 1. Without algorithms dictating visibility, people naturally moderate their posting frequency 2. When everyone knows each other, accountability happens organically 3. The absence of infinite content eliminates doomscrolling. And I actually feel filled just taking a look at my feed and seeing nothing new was added since my last visit! 4. People share more authentically when they aren’t worried about performance metrics This isn’t a startup launch or an open-source project (yet?). Just an experiment that has made my digital social life feel more human. The best part? Everyone I built it for is already using it! Actually, I’m hesitant to grow it too much, because then I’d have to start worrying about server cost and a monetization strategy, and so on.