Every now and then you have a moment. A proper, stomach-flipping, universe-tilting moment. Mine came when my 10-year-old daughter asked for a phone.

Because I know what lives behind those apps.
And I don’t mean predators in trench coats. I mean design.

I’ve spent years studying how this stuff works

Marketing Management at Harvard.
Decision-making psychology at the LSE.
UX Design with Google.
A long, very caffeinated history of branding, behavioural economics, and why people click what they click.

This isn’t paranoia. It’s pattern recognition.

Social media platforms aren’t broken. They’re doing exactly what they were built to do.
Extract time. Feed habits. Monetise you and your mates while you’re trying to read one bloody comment.

And then we call it “connection”

Here’s a fun party trick: ask someone what social media gives them.

Then ask how they feel after using it for 45 minutes.

If they say “energised, focused and deeply seen”, they’re probably lying. Or they work in adtech.

It’s not that we don’t want to be connected. We do. We’re desperate for it.
But these platforms give us the illusion of intimacy without the burden of being present.
And they’re designed that way. On purpose. With test groups.

So no, I don’t want my daughter scrolling through this circus

Not now. Not in ten years. Not ever.

That’s why I’m building Happentell.
A social network with no likes.
No algorithms.
No infinite scroll.
No follower counts.
No fifteen-second viral sludge.
And a 50-friend limit. On purpose.

Because social media should be… well, social. Not a bloody slot machine wrapped in a dopamine-scented hug.

What’s the point then?

To talk.
To listen.
To share ideas without performance.
To be heard, not ranked.

We’re not here to “disrupt the space”. We’re here to escape it.

And if that sounds a bit dramatic, good.
This whole industry is dramatic.
We just want to build a quiet corner for people who are tired of all the noise.

And maybe, just maybe, give my daughter a version of the internet that doesn’t train her to crave applause.

Happentell is being built now.
Slowly. Intentionally. With enough coffee and side-eye to power a minor rebellion.

Stick around if you’re curious.
Or tired.
Or hopeful.
Or all three.